Shattered Hopes
by astridelta
Summary: SASUNARU Sasuke and Sakura are now S-class missing nin and have left Konoha on a mission, a mission that could easily cause their target's demise. Dark secrets lurk in every shadow, and the two have learned they can trust no-one but themselves and the one boy who they will risk their lives to save...but which one of them is willing to give more than their existence for him?
1. Prologue

_Prologue_

* * *

Rain pattered on the tin roof above the heads of two shadowy figures, lightning flashing in the broken window, set by the door which was hanging by one hinge on its frame. "If we intercepted them here, then we should be able to obtain what we need and get out," the male said, his baritone voice rumbling like the thunder outside in the one room shack. His gloved finger traced a path on a torn and wrinkled map in front of both of them, following a line from the top downward in a weaving motion. "Wouldn't it be better to ambush them before they reach their rendezvous point?" The other replied, a female who's tone was not that of the kind and somewhat oblivious person she had once been. The man across from her shook his head in reply as lightning illuminated the shack for a brief second. "Then they will have reinforcements. If we are to get what the client requested then we must complete this as soon as possible," the man stated.

Annoyance flickered across the female's hidden expression, but regardless she nodded...because she knew if she disagreed the unstable man before her would surely lose his temper. And that was something she did not like to see. "When should we attack then," she said flatly and crossed her arms, leaning back onto her left leg and eying her partner with a scrutinizing glare. "Now." The woman sighed at the answer and looked outside, where the rain continued to pound mercilessly onto the earth below. "Visibility will be poor at best if we attack now," she stated while the man bent to pick up his bag and weaponry, consisting of a katana and arm-guards with, as she had learned from experience, summoning seals for various shinobi blades hidden inside of them. "They'll be closer to their destination if we wait." "We could be killed if we go," the female countered, her image flickering in front of the man's eyes until her pale face reappeared in front of his eyes, anger floating in her expression.

"Let me get one thing straight," she hissed, and her own gloved hand poked into the man's chest with enough strength to push him back slightly. "I don't feel like dying today. Either we wait out the storm and continue with the mission when we can or you go without me. And you know how valuable I am to you." The man looked away, and his onyx eyes flared red briefly in his anger. "You understand how much we are being paid for this," he replied, voice tense and low as he tried to rein in his frustration. A smirk crossed the woman's features as she saw the conflicting emotions warring inside of her partner. "And if we rush this," she said and her fingers trailed up to grip his throat. "We die." Her hand tightened briefly around the man's windpipe, and then she released her hold and flickered back to her place across the table, where she awaited her "Captain's" decision.

But neither of them even belonged to a village anymore, so why should roles like captain and subordinate even be valid in their situation?

Meanwhile, the man was busy clenching his fists and trying extremely hard to ensure he didn't ram the blade of his katana into the woman's heart. He knew she had a point, this kind of storm was not a place he would want to be fighting within. But with his eyes, he knew the battle would be a breeze...for him. He couldn't exactly say the same for his partner, and when his obsidian eyes connected with her emerald, he nodded once and gave the silent affirmation that they would indeed wait for the storm to subside.

* * *

"I will take point," the man said once the first light of dawn had touched the skies above and the raging storm had ceased to a light drizzle. He stood from his place of crouching in the corner of the shack, wrapping his thick black cloak around his body and making his sure his arm-guards were secure on his wrists, while his partner ensured her own gear was steady on her hips and she fastened the clasp of her own cloak. "As expected," she replied, feeling boredom creep into her mind at the thought of spending hours just running aimlessly like a chicken with her head cut off until they found their targets. But she had to admit, the pay _was_ good. The man snorted once, a rare show of amusement from him, as he exited the shack that had been their home for the better part of four days, and felt the wet grass crunch between his black running boots, made out of a thick and flexible leather, while listening to the sounds of wildlife stirring in the forest about three miles ahead of him.

A cool breeze blew across the open clearing he stood in, and as he waited for his partner to emerge from the shack he closed his eyes and relished in the very rare nice day that was to come. A smirk rose to his lips as he realized today was the last day their targets would enjoy as well.

They'd best make it count.

"What are you waiting for," the woman said when she noticed her partner simply standing in the waist-high grass with his arms crossed. Stepping behind him, she saw an evil smile twist his features while his eyes remained peacefully closed. One midnight black eye peeled open to gaze down at her emotionlessly. "Ready," he asked curtly. She nodded and shrugged, feeling the cloth of her cloak bundle around her neck and making her uncomfortable. Wordlessly, the man sprang forward like a cheetah giving chase to a gazelle, running gracefully through the grass and as the woman followed, her hand closed around the hilt of double-bladed scythe that she had chosen as her own weapon of choice. It was ironic, she thought as she and the man made their way to the looming forest ahead of them, that she was now putting the medical training that she had learned long ago in order to heal people to use in the art of killing.

Her fingers subconsciously ran across the edge of one of the cresent blades, feeling the slick poison that coated the steel and satisfaction filling her that, soon, it would taste blood. In the past, she would have felt disgusted at the thought of ending another human's life without cause...but now she relished in it, just as her partner had long before she came along. "We're going three kilometers, three o' clock," her partner called from ahead. "Fine," she replied over the howling wind that rushed in her ears while they entered the dim forest ahead of them, trees blurring into nothing while the two leapt up into the leafy depths, landing on the slick branches and sticking to their surfaces with chakra briefly before pushing off once more.

This continued for, she estimated, two hours. They had only stopped once when she realized that she had dropped a vial of poison that was essential to some of her battle techniques and had to spend twenty seven minutes looking for it on the forest floor, much to her companion's annoyance. But as she prepared to jump off again, the man ahead of her raised his palm over his shoulder. The signal to stop and wait. As he stopped, she made one more leap to his side and peered over the thick branch they crouched on, high in a tall, leafy oak while scanning the dirt path below for what they both could hear was coming. Male voices drifted softly from the left, approaching closer, and the woman could hear the crunching of hooves on gravel and the snorts of horses, as well as the rolling of wooden wheels.

A caravan. Just like the one the mission ordered to be destroyed.

Boisterous laughter filled the air as the first sight of a chestnut horse came into view, followed by a wooden cart which held bundled goods tied with thick rope, surrounded by guards in flimsy armor and holding cheap-looking spears and swords. Two more of the same procession followed, but each horse was different; the second, a palomino, and the third, a giraffe horse with white flecks on his grey hide. The man's eyes meanwhile zeroed in on the middle cart, where a large chest sat surrounded by exploding tags. That was what they were after. Looking to his partner, he nodded once towards the cart and she replied by leaping down in front of the first caravan, and light smile adorning her face.

That was the smile of Death.

"Who're you?" A man with a grey beard asked, halting the cart behind himself and staring at the man's partner. She turned her eyes towards him. "Just a traveller," she replied and stepped aside. "I apologize for getting in your way." The aged man nodded and continued the procession, and once he passed the woman, a twisted grin replaced the innocent smile as the man in the trees saw a flash of steel appear from under her cloak and stab the man inbetween his shoulder blades. Blood spurted from the wound and the man let out a gargled groan as his body slipped from the grip of the scythe and fell to the dirt path with a thump. Shouts of confusion riddled the air as the woman reached into her weapons pouch and pulled out three small black orbs; smoke bombs. Pulling her scythe fully from her cloak and extending the handle of it to almost equal her height, she cast a quick glance up at her partner before flinging the bombs to the floor.

White dust exploded in all directions, and the man heard the guards cough and splutter as he decided to join the fray. Pulling out his katana and letting his eyes bleed the red of his family, the first scream of terror ripped the air as he jumped and landed in the smoke, immediately coming face-to-face with the terrified gaze of a young brunette man, who soon met his end thanks to the blunt edge of the man's katana entering his chest. He listened to his partner slashing at the men and their cries of pain and begging to be spared, then the gargled and spluttered coughs that always followed as he too took place in the slaughter, man after countless man falling at his feet. One particular one, however, put up quite a fight and the man found himself having to use a jutsu that, if the boy had lived to tell the tale, would identify him in a heartbeat.

"Chidori!" The man rammed his fist onto his opponent's chest, and the boy's scared green eyes widened as recgonition fluttered in them. Blood dribbled from his mouth as he opened it to speak, and Sasuke ripped his palm from the child in disgust, eying his blood-soaked glove and wondering when he would wash it as the boy slowly ceased to breathe.

He was only thirteen years old.

Silence reigned the air as if it were a king while the smoke slowly cleared to reveal his partner twirling in a throng of men, her double-bladed scythe cutting into flesh and causing ribbons of blood to spurt into the air as a pile of bodies formed at her feet. Once the final man had fallen, eyes frozen wide in fear, she stopped and sighed as if bored and reached down to grip the hem of a man's shirt that was not covered in crimson and wiped the blades of her weapon clean. "Not that I don't enjoy this," she called as the man went to the second cart and carefully navigated his way past the exploding tags to retrieve the small chest within them, "But we could have just stolen the chest and gotten away without all this hassle." The man turned and leapt from the cart, and then put the chest inside of his cloak as he clapped his hands together in a seal. "Then we would have been caught," he replied simply before setting the cart aflame.

Screams from the horses split the air as the exploding tags fulfilled their purpose, and the man sighed as he realized they didn't release the animals. "Get those free and meet me up there," he sighed out and pointed to the tree they had been in earlier, not even bothering to glance back at the woman, who too released her own annoyed breath and stepped over the body of a fourteen year old boy with a thick gash on his chest to release the horses.

* * *

"And you retrieved the object without problem, I presume?" A brunette man asked from behind a thick wooden desk in a dim room with no windows, hidden so far under-ground the woman could almost believe they were at the center of the earth. "Take a look for yourself and see," her partner drawled and flung the chest they had captured onto the desk with a clang, knocking aside various scrolls and ink holders in the process. With a frown, their client gently pried open the lid of the chest and pulled out a scroll tied with red twine. The woman's eyes followed his fingers closely as he untied the string and flung it aside, and as the contents of his scroll were revealed to him, the client couldn't keep a grin from his features.

"Haruno Sakura...Uchiha Sasuke...you certainly are worthy of the title...'Death Hounds'."

He lowered the scroll to his desk, and Sakura saw the image of Uzumaki Naruto plastered onto the parchment. Sasuke's back stiffened and Sakura felt a similar rage course through her veins at the sight of their former partner, even if it was just his image, in the possession of this man. "I would like to think we are..." Sakura whispered, and her eyes flicked to the right to connect with Sasuke's, and then the raven sprang forward with a kunai in his hand, slashing the man's throat and causing blood to splatter the desk and the floor. His brown eyes widened in shock while his now dying body thumped to the floor, and his thrashing stilled as his blood pooled around him. "Such a mess..." Sakura muttered and picked up the scroll they had retrieved and the sack of coins their, now former, client had prepared for them.

"Does it say anything about where his location is," Sasuke demanded as he stood from searching the body for anything valuable, fortune not smiling upon him when he found nothing. Sakura shook her head slowly, emerald eyes hard. "Just more information on his skills," she muttered and flung it towards the Uchiha, who caught the object in his palm and stared down at the frozen image of a seventeen year old Naruto smiling fiercely back up at his hardened features. His eyes travelled over the familiar list of jutsus and stats, not reading them because he was all too familiar with them...but then his eyes landed on one particular line. "You missed something," he muttered, and Sakura stepped around the desk to look at the scroll. He glanced up at her as she too read the few particular words one the parchment. "...Let's go."

And so the hunt began.


	2. Corruption of the Soul

_Chapter One_

_Corruption of the Soul_

* * *

It was a cold day in the frigid Land of Steel. To be expected, of course, but regardless Uchiha Sasuke drew his crimson red scarf closer around his mouth and nose while his black cape billowed behind his back, snow hitting his numb cheeks and nose and melting in the sweat that poured down his face while he attempted to scale the miniature mountain before him, seeing the dim yellow light up ahead and knowing food and shelter awaited him there. The sack slung around his shoulders began to slip, and the raven's hand shot out to grip the falling bag and the objects held within clanged and made a ringing noise that grit on Sasuke's ears like an untuned symphony. Cursing under his breath that they should have chosen somewhere less elevated for their base, Sasuke eventually managed to peer through the blizzard and glimpse the one story cabin in the dim of night.

His feet left smoking prints on the snow due to the amount of chakra had had infused into his feet to ensure he didn't slip on the less-than-gripping ice and snow of the hill as he had climbed, and he ensured that no-one (alive) had been around to witness his ascent to where he and Sakura had currently been staying, for the past two weeks. And the trip to this frozen land was proving to be less than fruitful, Sasuke thought with a scowl once he approached the cabin, which to any passing eye actually looked welcoming and friendly, but Sasuke knew that two murders and thieves dwelled within. Monsters to society.

Ever since he and his partner had left their former client's black market base in the Land of Stone, they had followed the information on the scroll that they had retrieved for the man all the way to Samurai Country, tracking the one person they both had a need, a want, a _dependency_ for, to survive. Wind howled in Sasuke's ears like a dying animal as his free hand, the one not gripping the sack, closed on the brass handle of the door in front of him. As soon as he swung the door in, Sasuke stepped back as a pair of swords swung into the doorway from either sides of the wall and, if Sasuke had been walking into the home, they would have dug into his sides and held him there until Sakura had come to retrieve his dying body.

The thought somewhat amused and disturbed Sasuke as he placed the back of his armored glove under one of the blades and pushed it up so he could enter the home, and then he ducked down as yet another axe came swinging from a raft in the ceiling, intended to chop any intruder's head off. Sakura had often complained that the security was a bit too much, even for the two of them, but the secrets that they guarded were well worth the protection, Sasuke argued. He turned and replaced the swords into their separate holders on either side of the wall, his finger lightly flicking the string that was connected to the door and the hilts of the blades, such that once the door was opened the swords would be loosened from their holders and swung into the doorway. Then he replaced the axe and checked to ensure the chakra seals were in place, avoiding touching them since they had not been activated, and made his way to the one room that was illuminated in the home.

Passing through a virtually empty living room, where an empty stone fireplace held the remains of a still smoldering fire and two rocking chairs, placed on a faded and tattered green rug with a diagonal yellow pattern running across its frayed surface, Sasuke entered the kitchen-turned-strategy room to find Sakura bent low over the scroll they had obtained, her eyes trailing the hand-written characters and he noticed her eyes linger on the face on the parchment longer than they did the rest of the paper. "You took awhile," the rosette said without looking up as Sasuke set his bag on the counter that she stood at, completely ignoring the slightly broken stools behind her and the table pressed against the wall. A candle glowed dimly on the surface of the island, lighting up the scarred surface of the wood.

"But I got them," the raven muttered in reply and poured out the contents of the sack; a small gold ring, a steel necklace missing its locket, which was laying cracked next to a rusted shruiken, and a piece of black fabric with a swirl sewn into it with white string. "These all belonged to him apparently," the Uchiha explained when Sakura picked up the ring and stared at it curiously. "They all have chakra signatures on them too." The rosette inhaled a sharp breath and her emerald eyes flicked up to meet his own hard obsidian. "That's..unusual," she stated slowly. "We never find anything with his chakra on it."

"He must've been in a rush," Sasuke said and went to find a stool which was missing a leg and now balancing precariously on the floor, setting it by the counter and sitting down while taking off his gloves and running the bare fingers of his right hand through his hair, propping his left elbow on the counter and leaning his face onto his palm." Sakura nodded once, her eyes on the ring still and turning it over in the light, examining it closely. "You do realize today is..." "Yeah, I know." Sakura looked over at him and he met her eyes evenly, but each of them felt the pang in their hearts as they remembered...

Remembering the day Konoha took their most precious person from them.

* * *

_It was a sunny spring day in Konoha. May eighteenth, to be exact, and at the present moment in time a thirteen year old Haruno Sakura lay sprawled in the long, waving strands of grass that lay outside of Team 7's training grounds, along with one Uchiha Sasuke and one Uzumaki Naruto, each of which asleep due to the hard amount of training they had pushed themselves through, but neither would never admit to the other that they had lost consciousness after the fact. Sakura felt a warm smile touch her lips as she glanced over at each tired boy, Sasuke curled on his side and sleeping peacefully while Naruto, ever the more obnoxious even in slumber, had his limbs spread every which way and a sloppy grin on his sleeping face. _

_The rosette heard a rustle off behind her head, and she sat up with her short pink hair swinging to meet the back of Kakashi-sensei standing before her and three ANBU facing the white-haired Jounin. Figuring that Kakashi was just chatting for no reason, Sakura laid back down and stared up at the small clouds that dotted the sapphire blue sky, the noon sun bearing down it's rays onto the Village hidden in the Leaves. Shutting her eyes, the kunochi listened to Sasuke and Naruto's even breathing while imagining herself floating on a cloud. _

_Sasuke seemed to shift on her left, and Sakura imagined him pressing against her back. She giggled despite herself, and she knew that the fangirl-ish crush was ultimately going to get her no-where, that if Sasuke chose her as a girlfriend it would be because he genuinely liked her back...but she just couldn't stop her mind from running free sometimes. Sighing contently, Sakura felt the warmth of the sun hit her perfectly smooth, petal-pale skin and relished in the early break Kakashi had given them. Speaking of Kakashi...Sakura heard the Jonin's voice raise considerably and he seemed to be almost shouting, and Sakura opened her eyes while sitting up to watch the wolf gesturing to the three ANBU once more, movements jerky and wild as his voice, devoid of words that Sakura could make out, seemed angry and panicked at the same time. _

_"Hey...Naruto," Sakura whispered and put her hand on Naruto's shoulder, shaking it gently and keeping her eyes trained on her sensei and the three mysterious shinobi. "Ehhh...What is it Sakura-chan," Naruto groaned and sat up as well, eyes blinking lazily as he rubbed at them with his left hand, curled into a fist like a child and yawned loudly. "Look," she whispered and pointed forward. "Yeah, Kaka-sensei is talking...what's so great about it," the blonde mumbled, and Sakura heard a rustling off to her left and moments later Sasuke's navy blue tee came into view. "What's going on," he growled, seemingly upset at being disturbed. "Sakura-chan thinks there's something going on between Kaka-sensei and those ANBU," Naruto filled the raven in quietly, and Sakura noticed the ANBU in the middle of the trio in front of Kakashi lean around the Jonin and point towards them._

_The two on either side of the masked person nodded and all three vanished, reappearing in a triangle around the Genin. "Woah!" Naruto exclaimed, and Sakura sunk back to sit between Sasuke and Naruto, the Uchiha narrowing his eyes and standing at the same time Naruto did. "Uzumaki Naruto?" The one in front of Sakura asked coldly. The blonde's head whipped to the right to face the one who had stated his name. "Yeah?" He asked suspiciously and Sakura stood as Kakashi's furious masked face appeared behind the ANBU. "Don't you dare," he growled. "You will come with us," the ANBU in front of Sasuke stated as if Kakashi hadn't spoken. Sakura gasped and bolted to her feet, and she heard the shing of a kunai as Sasuke drew a blade from his weapons pouch. "What the hell did I do?" Naruto exclaimed. "For committing treason against the state of Konoha, you will be put on trial without parole," someone said, but Sakura was unsure who as the field erupted into chaos._

_Two of the masked shinobi- one with a bear mask and another with a wolf mask- sprang forward to restrain Sasuke and Sakura while the one in front of Naruto went to grip the blonde's collar. Sakura backflipped out of the way before the shinobi's arms could wrap around her shoulders and Sasuke slithered out of reach while Naruto ducked, bucking up once the ANBU's weight pressed against his back and flinging the shinobi backwards. The three Genin gathered farther away as Kakashi sprung into battle, his left hand lifting his hitai-ate to reveal his sharnigan as he parried a fist blow from the Bear ANBU. Naruto pressed his back against Sakura's, and Sasuke joined them in the middle, forming a mini triangle as the Wolf and Hawk (the one who had gone for Naruto) ANBU appeared in front of the Uchiha. "Resisting will only bring the charges filed against you up," Wolf said, and Sakura flinched as she felt Naruto tense. "I asked what I did," Naruto said lowly._

_"This sentence is absolute," Hawk replied stiffly, not giving a straight answer. "Tell us what he did," Sasuke said lowly, and Sakura heard the hidden anger in his voice and knew that Naruto was in serious danger. "He is being tried for counts of murder." If possible, Naruto stiffened even more and Sakura suppressed a gasp of shock while she retrieved two kunai from her weapons pouch and held them in each hand. "Who," Naruto growled. "Countless victims, who died thirteen years ago." "That's ridiculous!" Sakura exclaimed and the triangle shifted so Naruto was as far away from the ANBU as possible and instead Sasuke and Sakura faced the two. "He was a baby! How could he have killed anyone!" The Wolf shook their head. "You don't understand," they growled and each shinobi took a step forward. Sasuke raised his weaponry. "Don't come any closer without giving us better evidence," he said._

_"If he will not come with us willingly, we will not hold back and take him by force," Hawk warned dangerously. Sasuke and Sakura both lowered into fighting stances and she noticed Sasuke reach back and put a restraining hand on Naruto's chest, silently telling the blonde to not fight. Sakura knew his impossible situation would get worse if he did, and she begged in her mind for Naruto to get the message. "No," the raven and the rosette growled in unison, and that's when it all started._

_Leaping forward, the Hawk ANBU vanished in thin air, but Sasuke suddenly lifted his arm and with his kunai blocked a blow from a dulled katana as the shinobi swung at his legs, meaning to incapacitate him and in the same downward motion, kicked his feet out to trip the ANBU. Sakura focused on the fight for a moment until she saw the Wolf sneaking his way around the perimeter, attempting to get past Sakura and get Naruto from behind. With a mutter of "Oh no you don't", Sakura sprung back and managed to intercept the shinobi as he circled around Kakashi's fight and was heading straight for Naruto at breakneck speed, and she crossed her arms in front of her face to lessen the wicked punch the shinobi sent towards her. Skidding back, she dug her sandaled feet into the dirt and glared into the brown eyes that stared back at her through that mask, and attempted to push him backward using the strength training she had received from Tsunade, and then kicked into his abdomen __(it was definitely a he)_ and sending him cartwheeling into the air, only for him to backflip in the middle of his decent and land gracefully.

_Running forward once more, Sakura barely dodged a dulled shruiken that definitely would have hurt if it had hit her arm as intended and she brought herself to the ground as the ANBU leapt over her body. Gripping his ankle, Sakura sent him crashing to the ground with a loud explosion, but then confusion racked through her when the figure disappeared from her grasp. Then she screamed as two arms wrapped around her arms and pulled her out of the crumbling crater, and she kicked while looking up to see Wolf staring straight ahead at the fight between Sasuke and the Hawk. The raven seemed to be losing. Badly. He was barely keeping up with opposite shinobi's blows and Sakura knew if he didn't have the sharnigan then it would have been even worse, but even so he managed a wicked roundhouse kick to the person's mask and made them stumble back a few feet, clutch the area Sasuke had hit with his palm before dashing forward again, and this time even Sasuke looked confused as he glanced around, trying to find where the person was._

_Then Sakura noticed the shadow descending above the raven. "Sasuke-kun!" She screeched, and he glanced over at her to see her wide emerald eyes trained above his head, he quickly looking up to see the masked figure bearing down on him. Leaping out of the way, Sasuke narrowly avoided being knocked out as the figure clasped their fists together and slammed them into the spot the Uchiha had been standing moments previous. But as he made to escape, a gloved hand closed around his ankle and he was pulled back into a restraining Hawk ANBU. Snarling, Sasuke kicked and tried to free himself, but the shinobi held him too tight and left no room for maneuvering. His desperate eyes connected with Sakura's, and both seemed to have the same idea as they simultaneously looked over to where they had last seen Naruto. The blonde was backflipping away from the Bear ANBU, who seemed to have knocked Kakashi out as Sakura looked over at the unconscious figure to her right, and was currently slashing at the blonde with a sharpened katana. _

_Clapping his hands together, Naruto shouted "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" and eight clones of himself appeared in a cloud of white smoke. Four lined up next to the other's awaiting palms and began to rotate the air in their hands, and four Naruto's began to wield Rasengans as the Bear charged forward after a momentary daze of seeing eight of Naruto. The four with the Rasengans sprinted forward as well, two diverging to either side of the ANBU while the four that had formed the attacks charged in a straight line formation._

_ What happened next almost seemed to occur in slow motion to Sakura._

_The Narutos holding Rasengans began to close in on the ANBU, palms outstretched and as the first two barely grazed the ANBU's exposed shoulders, the Bear suddenly ducked and spun, kicking out his legs and twisting three-hundred and sixty degrees, violently dispelling the four Kage Bunshins holding the attacks, and then in the same motion stood and went straight for the Naruto on the left edge of the four left. The blonde's cerulean eyes widened as the ANBU rammed into him, sending the blonde cartwheeling back and the three Kage Bunshin vanished in pops of air. "Naruto!" Sakura and Sasuke cried out in unison as the blonde landed with a dull thump on the dusty ground, skidding back and once he had stopped, he didn't get back up. Meanwhile, the Bear continued to run forward and Sakura heard the sound of metal sliding on metal, and saw the dark pommel of the katana arc into the air in the shinobi's hand._

_"No!" The rosette screamed and fought again against the Wolf's hold as the Bear brought the handle of his sword down on Naruto's skull with a sickening crack. _

_Silence fell down on the clearing as Naruto cried out once, his pained shout echoing around the grassy field, and then the Bear bent down and roughly picked the blonde up, swinging him over his shoulder. Sakura saw blood dripping from Naruto's temple as his forehead bumped against the ANBU's shoulder, the crimson falling to the ground like tears. Nodding once to his companions, the Bear flickered and vanished, and Hawk followed, leaving Wolf to abandon Sakura last. She fell to her knees, staring at the bloody spots on the ground in horror as she kept replaying the scene of Naruto being struck over and over in her mind, hearing Sasuke's voice oddly screaming Naruto's name and a string of curses and threats directed at the ANBU who had attacked them..._

* * *

Sasuke noticed Sakura clench her fists around the golden ring in the present time, and he too reached out onto the counter for the few objects that he knew for a fact belonged to the blonde who had somehow managed to escape Konoha, alive. He lifted the cracked oval locket into his palm and weighed it, appraising it in the lighting of the candle and his eyes tracing the spider web break on the otherwise smooth surface, the cracking starting in the bottom left side of the oval and gradually making its way up the left side. Placing his right index finger under the clasp of the small locket, Sasuke tried to pry the object open.

The lid didn't budge.

Frowning slightly, Sasuke stared at the oval which now seemed to be _mocking_ him and he noticed Sakura staring at him curiously. "What," he snapped and felt his temper rise as he came to the realization that another year had passed without knowing what had truly happened to their blonde teammate, marking this as fourth anniversary since he had watched someone close to him get dragged away from him..again. Sakura looked away and placed the ring back on the table. "No sign of him down there then," she asked after a few tense silences. "No," Sasuke replied instantly. He removed his cloak from his shoulders, revealing the grey zip-up tank with the Uchiha crest stitched into the back, the black shinobi pants he had on and the black boots that rose to his knees, buckles lining the inside of the leather footwear as he carelessly flung the clothing into the corner of the room, removing his katana and arm-guards as well, but placed them more carefully under the counter.

Sakura, for her part, had her now back-length rosette hair (she had grown it out and refused to cut it) in a high ponytail, her bangs sweeping low over her hard emerald eyes and was wearing a tight fitting sleeve-less red shirt with a low-cut collar, a fish-net shirt covering her chest and stomach, which was revealed since the red cloth cut off just before her navel, and a very unusually cut skirt; one half ran down to her right knee while the other side was cut at mid thigh, a triangular slit cut between the two different sides. She two wore knee-length black boots, but these had wedged heels as opposed to Sasuke's flat gear, and her buckles ran along the backs of her calves. Her right arm had a spiraling red metal bracelet on it while her hip held a silver belt, which contained three different pouches: one for weaponry, one for medical supplies, and the third...well...

Even Sasuke didn't know what was inside that third pouch.

Her double bladed scythe was buckled into the hoister that was strapped to her back with a leather strap that arched over her right shoulder and connected to her belt, and as Sakura went to remove the weapon, Sasuke took in the very strange design. Each blade of the weapon had eleven holes running down the middle of the blade, varying in size from the largest near the hilt and gradually growing smaller until they reached the tips of the blades. The hilt, for its part, was painted a crimson red, like a rose, and was very thick by the blades and slimmed out to the part that was covered in leather for easy and comfortable grip. The raven never did learn where Sakura had obtained such a unique weapon, and since he had been with her almost 24/7 since the two had left Konoha, it remained a mystery to him and probably always would.

"I've got to go get more herbs," the rosette muttered, and Sasuke noticed her finger the bottom blade of her scythe, which hung by her right heel. "Don't go overboard with it," he replied. "No promises," Sakura growled and swung her own, smaller black cloak over her torso. "I'm not in a good mood right now." "We aren't done here yet," Sasuke said and looked over his shoulder at his retreating partner. "If you kill anyone important we'll have to leave." "Then I won't kill anyone important!" Sakura's voice drifted to Sasuke from the foyer. He sighed and didn't even feel the concern he used to at Sakura's sudden bloodlust, almost great enough to rival his own, but knew it came from a brewing hatred and anger directed at those who had hurt Naruto. He knew that...

Because he felt an even greater pain at the loss of his best friend.

Placing the locket down before he crushed it into silvery dust in his palm, the Uchiha stood and pushed his stool back while sweeping out of the room and going to the bedroom he had created out of what appeared to have been either a pantry or a shed that connected to the overgrown, snowy backyard. Stepping inside and closing the worn wooden door, he went straight for the tattered futon he had spread on the floor along with the grey blankets and the backpack filled with spare clothing that he used as a pillow, sitting on the futon and sighing while extending his legs.

Sasuke knew he was most likely clinically insane; he _enjoyed_ the blood he shed, he looked forward to, and relished in, it because each drop would ultimately lead himself (and Sakura, he tacked on begrudgingly) to Naruto...and he would swim through a sea of blood and tears if it meant he could reach the blonde again. He knew Sakura would too in a heartbeat, but that was the difference between himself and Sakura. Sasuke would always rush to Naruto without second thought, and Sakura would hesitate for that split second, that one frame in time that meant the difference between who could get their hands on Naruto first. Sasuke grit his teeth as he promised himself, again, that it _would_ be him who got to the blonde.

Oh, the raven knew Sakura was a dangerous enemy to make and she cared about Naruto just as much as he did, perhaps more in some ways, and he knew that when it came time for him to take Naruto and abandon her he was in for a hell of a chase. But after spending the past four years traveling with her and not in a romantic way at all (Sasuke refused any advances Sakura had made in the beginning...he had eyes for someone quite different) he had learn all of her weaknesses and how to exploit them in battle. As he thought of that wicked scythe of hers, Sasuke knew she was almost unstoppable when she wielded it, because with a simple twirl she could cut through a man's torso like butter when she combined the already sharp edges with her unnatural strength. Sasuke shivered just thinking about the furious joy that always crossed Sakura's pale features at the blood she spilled in battle.

Four years certainly had changed the kind, lovable rosette into a cold-hearted, relentless murderer.

But Sasuke knew he could match her viciousness with equal intensity. He was used to hating someone, or in this case, an entire village, with all of his being. He knew how to use that feeling to his advantage and in a hand-to-hand situation, Sasuke could probably gain the advantage if he was quick enough on his feet and poured every ounce of negative emotion into his battle...Sakura would be done. Because Sasuke was not about to share his prize. Maybe he was insane, yes...

And maybe his soul was corrupted beyond repair...

But he will always chase that blonde hair and sky blue eyes until the day his heart stopped beating. _That_ would always be his true goal as long as he was certain Naruto was still alive. And as he sat in the dim, cold room that belonged to a family now long dead at his hand, an insane laugh escaped his lips when he whispered aloud...

"I will avenge you, Naruto."


	3. Twisting of the Mind

_Chapter Two_

_Twisting of the Mind_

* * *

Even as Sasuke began his maniacal descent into sleep, Sakura was busy making her own way down the mountain and into the village lights that glowed far below the hill, where her medical supplies, and victims, awaited. Her ponytail blew out from under the hood of the rosette's cloak as she picked her way over the slippery boulders in the dead of night, and she frowned when strands of pink came stinging into her eyes and on her numb cheeks. She had considered dying her hair- after all, what insane murderer had pink hair?- but it seemed that sometimes the color came to an advantage in battle, distracting opponents with the oddly unnatural texture and so, she kept the rose pink. As the village drew nearer, Sakura once more felt the tip of her scythe and grinned, knowing soon someone else would feel her pain.

Because that's how it felt like when Naruto had been taken from her; a blade slicing through her middle, digging deeper and twisting...

She knew what Sasuke was planning too. Her demented snarl of a smile soon fell into a thoughtful frown as a path into the village came into view, leading out and into a tunnel that had been carved into the mountain centuries prior. Sakura was well aware that the youngest Uchiha planned to grab Naruto and run the moment they both found him, and the mere thought of that made Sakura's blood boil with rage. She had just as much of a right to the blonde as he did! Her boots crunching on gravel and snow, Sakura tried to keep her mind off of what she would do to Sasuke if he tried to do what he was planning while she entered what appeared to be the shopping district of the village.

Even this late at night (Sakura judged it to be around one, considering the height of the moon in the sky), stands and store fronts remained open to the howling wind and snow that accompanied her trek down into town. Soft cries of "Welcome!" greeted her while she pulled down the hood of her cloak and allowed her hair to fly freely behind her and she nodded politely to those had welcomed her into their town.

Because who said a murderer couldn't be civil?

Finding the store she was looking for, Sakura stepped into the almost medieval-looking building by swinging the door with a circular window design open, hearing bells chiming somewhere within the shop. A few snowflakes followed her inside as she stepped onto the dark wooden floor and shut the door behind herself. "Hello?" She called out when she noticed the rows of medical herbs and vials, but no-one occupying the store counter. Shrugging, considering it to be the store-keepers loss of money for not being in attendance, Sakura stepped further inside and began inspecting herbs, gathering a few that she thought were worthy and discreetly slipped them into her cloak and then medical pouch. Glancing around to ensure no-one was near her, she also went over to the stand that held all sorts of metal medical tools.

The steel gleamed up at Sakura as she stared at them, but she knew she already had the best medical tools there had even been, so she left those alone in favor of some sturdy medical vials instead. "May I help you?" An elderly woman's voice asked kindly as Sakura reached out for an oddly spiraled glass bottle with her gloved hand. Drawing her hand carefully into her cloak and turning calmly, Sakura smiled at an older woman with her grey hair tucked into a bun and wearing a tan apron over a blue sweater. "I'm just looking," Sakura replied, allowing her voice to have a slight fluttering tone to it. "Ah, are you sure? Our medical herbs and supplies are the best in the Land of Iron," the lady stated proudly.

Sakura nodded, having gotten what she had needed and now needed to complete her final mission before returning home. "Yes, thank you," she replied while making her way to the door. "I'm very low on money and I don't think I can actually buy anything." "Are you sure?" The old lady asked, and when Sakura put her hand on the handle she heard the shing of a blade. Looking over her shoulder, she saw a boy of sixteen, a year younger than her, standing where the old lady had been with two kunai in his hands. His green eyes were hard with fury and Sakura had a fair idea why. "I think you should stay and take a look around," his deep voice growled, brunette hair swiping over one eye as he stepped forward.

Reaching behind her back, Sakura gripped the handle of her scythe and drew it out of her cloak, pressing a hidden button that extended the hilt to her full height and the blades from previously being less than a foot long to over two and a half feet long. "Who the hell are you," Sakura growled, and the boy snapped his fingers. The medical room was brought into darkness by the curtains closing over all of the windows and the door locking behind her. "Two weeks ago," the boy growled and stepped around an herb stand. "You killed my brother when he was on his first mission." Sakura's memory flashed dimly to the mission she and Sasuke had embarked on. "I have no idea if I killed him or if my partner did," she said with a shrug.

"Whatever, Haruno Sakura..." Sakura stiffened when she heard her name. "How the fuck do you know my name!" She snarled and leaned forward with her scythe held in front of her. "Isn't it obvious?! You and Uchiha Sasuke leave nothing but trails of blood wherever you go," the boy growled in response. _Why do his eyes seem so familiar? _Sakura thought worriedly. "Well then, boy...I can guarantee you will not escape this place tonight," Sakura said aloud, her voice low with anticipation as she smiled ferally.

* * *

Sasuke's dreams were dark and haunted that night. All he saw were gaunt faces hidden in the shadows, begging to be saved and there was nothing Sasuke could do as their screams of terror echoed in his head. He ran, ran through the dark forest of his nightmares and tried to ignore their pleas and the cold hands that reached out to grip his arms, tearing at his shirt and grasping his legs. But all the Uchiha could see was that light up ahead that promised the sweet release of awakening from this horrible nightmare...And he almost reached it too, the ability to awake soundly and without incident when, suddenly, Naruto's pale face flashed in front of his own.

His blue eyes were wide and frozen in the embrace of Death.

_"NO!" _

Sasuke sat up, cold sweat dripping from his forehead and his onyx eyes wide as he stared at his lap, fists clenched over his legs and hair in disarray around his face. His breath came in heavy gasps, raggedly escaping his lips and inhaling sharply, Sasuke looked around to ensure that he was just in the bedroom of the house he currently lived in. "Dammit," he whispered and leaned forward, raising his hands to fist into his hair as he closed his eyes and grit his teeth at the memory of Naruto's face like that. "Fuck, Naruto, where are you," Sasuke continued to murmur soft nothings to himself and, despite his better judgement, he stood shakily and almost immediately felt the bile rise up his throat. Keeping his mouth shut, Sasuke stumbled to the door that led to the backyard and flung it open, cool morning air greeting his face as he kneeled over and began to vomit the contents of his stomach into the frozen grass.

The Uchiha refused to look at the mess once he was done, the vile smell of it alone almost enough to make him want to retch again as he stood straight and instead focused his sights on the disused barn in the background, the farm animals long since escaped to the high altitude of the mountain. The brisk air that surrounded Sasuke helped him to slow his rapid heartbeat and calm himself, his fists slowly uncurling from fists to hang limply at his sides as the only thing he felt was the dull ache in his throat from throwing up.

Turning and wiping the corner of his mouth with his sleeve, the raven entered the home once more and shut the door behind himself, deciding that he would go to the kitchen and examine the contents of the information he and Sakura had gathered over the past four years...again. Sasuke grimaced as he realized just how good Naruto seemed to be at covering his tracks. But why would he want to? Wasn't he supposed to be dead right now?...

* * *

_"Kakashi!" A thirteen year old Sasuke shouted once he saw his sensei ambling down the dirt road in front of him, his hands shoved in the pockets of his shinobi pants and masked face upturned to the sky. The older man looked over his shoulder at the sound of the Uchiha's voice and paused. "Ne, Sasuke," the Jonin greeted, but his voice was dull and lacked the cheeriness his two-fingered salute suggested. Sasuke stopped once he had reached the man and glared up at him. "We have to go get Naruto," the Uchiha growled, and the one visible eye in Kakashi's mask hardened. "If we attempt to free him we might be seen as traitors as well," the wolf muttered. Sasuke glared daggers at the Jonin. _

_"I don't care," he spat out. "Why should the dobe be put on trial for something he very clearly had nothing to do with!" "I agree that it's wrong, Sasuke," Kakashi replied and looked around at the bustling crowd that surrounded them. Nodding towards a small alley, Kakashi walked towards it and Sasuke followed, anger brewing inside of him and he longed to take it out on something, preferably living because then he could see the reaction from it. "You know about the Kyuubi attack on the village thirteen years ago, yes?" Kakashi asked once he had ushered Sasuke into the alley and stood with his back to the entrance. "Who doesn't," Sasuke muttered. "It's all people talk about-" "When they're around Naruto," Kakashi interrupted._

_Sasuke arched an eyebrow, not following Kakashi's train of thought. The wolf sighed and closed his eye. "People often associate Naruto with the Kyuubi attack from thirteen years ago," he explained. Sasuke shook his head in disbelief. "That's insane. How could Naruto have been the Kyuubi?" He asked. "That's the thing. He wasn't, nor is he," Kakashi muttered and leaned against a wall. "When he was a baby, the Forth Hokage sacrificed himself to seal the Kyuubi inside of him. Since then, the entire village was ordered by the Third to not speak of it to the younger generation-" "Then why are you telling me," Sasuke said suddenly._

_"Because your teammate could very well be put to death for this!" Kakashi snapped. Sasuke's blood ran cold at the words "put to death". "The entire village wants him gone Sasuke, and a murder trial is just the way for them to accomplish that." Kakashi's words fell on deaf ears as all Sasuke could see in his head was Naruto laying where his parents had at one point, laying in a crumpled pile with blood soaking his orange jacket and his cerulean eyes dull._

_"...Where's Sakura," he asked past gritted teeth. Kakashi looked at him, a confused look in his eye. "What-" "Kakashi, go get Sakura and meet me in front of the Hokage Tower," Sasuke interrupted, and he couldn't keep the begging tone from reaching his voice. Kakashi hesitated, then nodded once before vanishing. Sucking in a deep breath, Sasuke leapt up onto the roof of a building and sprinted to the Hokage Tower, his mind racing with the thought that, once again, he wasn't strong enough to protect those close to him._

_And Naruto was closer to him than anyone had ever gotten._

_Sasuke knew what true love felt like...because he felt it for Naruto, and Naruto only. He had already laid his life down for the blonde and he would gladly do it again because Naruto was his most special person...and if Konoha killed him..._

_He would make sure they all burned to the ground._

_It had taken awhile for Sasuke to realize how he felt. It had started soon after the mission to Wave Country, after the fight with Haku and Zabuza that had so nearly killed him, but the raven had refused to acknowledge the emotion under the illusion that he was just in shock from the whole "near death experience" thing. But it had only come into light during the Chunin exams...when Naruto had saved his life from that enormous snake that was hurtling towards his frozen form. That's when Sasuke had realized that he would do anything to make sure Naruto was safe and, if possible, in his arms. _

_Too bad Konoha was about to rip that chance from him._

_Growling under his breath, Sasuke leapt down from the roofs and landed in the middle of a group of people who screamed and scurried away at his violent presence. He was not in the mood to deal with their happiness, their happiness that came at the cost of Naruto's life. Crossing his arms, Sasuke waited for Kakashi and Sakura to arrive._

_And waited._

_And waited..._

_The afternoon sun and sunk low over the horizon as Sasuke's feet began to ache from pacing for over four hours, arms clasped over his chest when, finally, he saw Sakura's pink hair accompanying Kakashi's white down the road. "About time," the raven growled to himself as he paused and waited for the two to arrive. "...I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun," Sakura apologized as soon as she got within earshot of the raven. "I was on a mission out of the village and Kaka-sensei couldn't find me." The Uchiha nodded and looked up at Kakashi, who sighed and turned to Sakura. "Sakura," he said gently, and her emerald eyes hardened. "You know what happened to Naruto earlier. Right now...we're going to try and get Naruto out of this.." The rosette looked at Sasuke briefly and the raven wondered why he saw pure...hatred...in her eyes. _

_"Sakura," he said stiffly and drew her to the side, looking at Kakashi to make sure he stayed where he was. "What's your deal," Sasuke muttered once he had gotten Sakura out of earshot. She glared at the ground. "Kaka-sensei told me about...what's happened to Naruto," she murmured. Sasuke spared a quick glance at the Jonin, who was busy looking up at the Hokage Tower. "And?" He asked. Sakura sucked in a deep breath. "...Sasuke-kun, all I've done is be useless, and entirely depend on you and Naruto," she began. "I always need your help...and now that I know how the village treats Naruto..." She glanced back up at him and Sasuke saw that hatred again. "I despise them for what they've done to him," she hissed._

_Sasuke was slightly taken aback by the rosette's sudden change in attitude. Since when did Sakura actually hate anything, and, more specifically.. _

_Since when did she care about Naruto?_

_"Naruto is like the little brother I never had," she whispered, answering Sasuke's silent question. "I always needed him or you to save me, and now I will pay him back...but if he dies," Sakura's fists clenched and angry tears formed in her green eyes. "I will never forgive this place." _

_8-8-8-8-8-8-8_

_Kakashi slammed his fists down on the Hokage's desk, Sasuke and Sakura standing by the entryway into the room while the watched the argument between the Jonin, Tsunade, and one of the elders of the Council take place. "There has to be something you can do!" Kakashi yelled. Tsunade was on her feet as well, hazel eyes blazing as she glared at the aged man. He shook his head and closed his eyes. "This trial is absolute," he replied, echoing what the ANBU had said a week earlier to Sasuke and Sakura. "Bullshit," Tsunade hissed, and her chakra flared threateningly while she stepped forward to stand in front of the elder who sat on a couch propped against the wall. "You know full well the brat had nothing to do with the attack," she continued. "The Kyuubi was sealed inside of him! He had no say in what occurred beforehand!" _

_"That is precisely the point," the elder argued. "The Kyuubi lies dormant inside of the boy. If it decides to awaken then we are doomed." "You don't have to kill him," Kakashi snarled. "Or put him on a murder trial! You just admitted Naruto didn't kill anyone!" The elder rose to his feet, robes swishing on the ground as he did so. "The child must die for the sake of the village," the old man said, and that was when Sasuke snapped. Rushing forward, his palm flashed out and he grasped the man's throat, slamming his head against the wall while his sharnigan spun wildly in his eyes. _

_"If you kill Naruto," he whispered dangerously and tightened his fingers around the man's windpipe, "I will personally see to it that this village suffers far worse than what the Kyuubi did thirteen years ago." "Sasuke," Tsunade hissed quietly and the raven felt a restraining hand on his shoulder. The elder was staring, wide-eyed with fear, at the sharnigan in his irises. "I cannot stop...the trial," he stuttered out, terror evident in his voice. "Then make sure he doesn't die," Sasuke snapped and finally stepped back, feeling Tsunade push him behind her back and return him to Sakura's side..._

_8-8-8-8-8-8-8_

_Sasuke sat in the balcony that surrounded the Council room, his hands wringing in his lap as he saw the Elders file in, one by one, into the seats that were placed on a raised platform higher than where he sat at the very edge of the room. A lone chair with metal restraints sat in the center of the room at ground level, and at the angle Sasuke was at, he would be getting a perfect profile view of Naruto once the blonde entered. Sakura and Kakashi sat on either side of the Uchiha; the Jonin sat straight up, back stiff while Sakura was whimpering quietly with Ino at her side. _

_The entirety of Sasuke's ninja class was there to watch Naruto be sentenced to death._

_"Uzumaki Naruto," an elderly woman announced from the Elder's balcony, and everyone held their breath as a door opened on the wall opposite of Sasuke, and two ANBU stood on either side of a small blonde boy dressed in black, shackles on his wrists. Fury rose in Sasuke at the sight and he heard Sakura hiss under her breath when she too saw the blonde. His cerulean eyes betrayed nothing of what he was feeling, but Sasuke saw the slight shudder as his gaze passed over the amount of people that had gathered to witness the biased trial. As Sasuke understood it, the majority of the village had come to witness this._

_It sickened him._

_The procession moved slowly, escorting Naruto to the center of the room, where an ANBU on Naruto's right roughly shoved the blonde into the chair and the other removed Naruto's handcuffs, only to place the blonde's arms on the armrests where the metal cuffs were, and he clasped them tight over the blonde's wrists. The same procedure went for the blonde's ankles, and then the ANBU vanished, leaving Naruto surrounded by hateful villagers and a handful of children and adults who were physically restraining themselves from leaping down and helping the blonde. _

_"...Monster!" "Demon!" _

_Spiteful words echoed around Sasuke as his eyes remained trained on Naruto's oddly impassive face, the shouts growing louder and in greater numbers like a tidal wave until one elder out of seven raised his wizened hand for silence. A few more chants were yelled, and then silence reigned. A few people coughed and some babies began to cry as the silence prolonged, and Sakura began to fidget in her seat while Sasuke willed his hands to still as he watched Naruto with the intensity of a lion, but the blonde refused to look up at the crowd and kept his blank stare on the elders as all seven looked back at him in some sort of strange staring contest._

_Finally..."Uzumaki Naruto, do you understand the charges set against you by the state of Konoha?" A man's voice announced from the Elders. Naruto nodded once, curtly. "And you understand to consequences if you are found guilty?" Another nod. "Of course he's guilty!" A woman screamed from somewhere behind Sasuke. "He killed my brother!" More cries sounded, shouting that Naruto had killed various people that they knew, and Sasuke's fingers clenched so hard into his palms that he drew blood from his skin. "Why don't they just find him guilty and be done with it," someone muttered directly behind Sasuke. He turned to see a young man, maybe fifteen, leaning over to a friend of his and whispering. Glaring at him, Sasuke stood and the boy glanced at him._

_"Shut up," Sasuke snarled quietly, and the boy's grin fell into a thin line as his face paled from the sight of Sasuke's angry expression. "Why should we? He's just a monster," his friend sneered, and Sasuke's fist raised to strike the boy. Kakashi's hand closed around Sasuke's wrist before he got the chance however, and he found himself being spun around and sat back down with Kakashi still leaning to the side and holding his arm. "Do not cause trouble," the Jonin whispered, and Sasuke saw that Naruto was looking straight at him._

_A sliver of fear flashed in his aqua eyes, and then vanished once the Elder addressed him. "Uzumaki Naruto, you are being tried for..." Sasuke ceased to pay attention as the voice became background noise in his mind, focus entirely on Naruto and every small movement he made. The way his lips formed the words that left his throat, the shifting he made in his seat that was the only indication that he was nervous, the scuffing of his feet as they seemed to grow numb from being in one position for too long._

_This droned on for hours...and then Sasuke heard the words he had dreaded to hear._

_"Uzumaki Naruto...you are sentenced to death."_

_The Uchiha's vision went black._

* * *

Sasuke shivered at the memory in real life as he sat at the kitchen counter, pouring over various scrolls and newspapers that had even hinted at Naruto's presence all over the shinobi nations. The blonde's traveling pattern was erratic, seemingly without purpose, and Sasuke couldn't understand where the blonde was possibly heading as he always seemed to be one step ahead of himself and Sakura. Always narrowly escaping their sights and reappearing hundreds of miles away from the two without warning. And speaking of Sakura, where was she anyway?

Sasuke looked out of the window that was above the kitchen sink, which offered a perfect view of the mountainside and the village below. No living thing was climbing up the mountain, but Sasuke felt no worry. If Sakura wanted to find Naruto, she'd come back. The raven felt hunger claw at his stomach and he sighed, figuring he had best take a break before he began to strain his eyes and stood from the stool he had been sitting on, going to the pantry and taking in the pitiful amount of food he and Sakura had. But why should they bother buying the food? They almost always spent their afternoons and evenings in taverns, trying to glisten the slightest information on Naruto's whereabouts from drunk patrons, and getting decent food in the process.

Digging through the cans, Sasuke found a loaf of bread that didn't look too stale and a box of oatmeal. Figuring it was about the best that he would get, the raven shrugged and stepped back into the kitchen and went to the sink, which thankfully still had running water, and managed to find a bowl that wasn't too chipped or dusty from disuse. Filling it with the oatmeal flakes, Sasuke then proceeded to pour steaming warm water into the bowl while breaking off bits of bread and eating while he waited for the oatmeal to be ready.

Twenty minutes had passed after Sasuke began to eat when the front door opened.

Looking into the open living room, the raven heard the familiar slicing of the swords, and then footsteps, the fall of the axe and then each weapon being placed back in their specific places. Continuing to stare at the wall opposite of himself, Sasuke paid no attention to Sakura as she entered the room...until he noticed she was covered in splatters of blood. The Uchiha set his bowl down and watched as she undid her cloak, more blood coating her arms and her front, along with the blades of her scythe.

"I told you not to overdo it," Sasuke growled, and Sakura shot him a nasty glare. "I'm not in the mood Uchiha," she hissed. "I was busy covering our asses because, apparently, _you_ killed someone's brother and he came after me!" Sasuke rolled his eyes and quietly ate another spoonful of oatmeal. "Because I'm supposed to know that," he said sarcastically. "Look, the point is there are people onto us," the rosette said and went to retrieve a rag from the pantry while placing her scythe on the floor. "Well then we just get rid of them, problem solved," Sasuke drawled as Sakura went to the sink, the raven shifting to the side so the blood-covered kunochi could wet the rag she had gotten.

"Yes, because killing them will stop the rumors from spreading," Sakura replied scathingly and picked up her weapon, retracting its size to less than three feet tall and the blades sinking into the hilt with a metallic sliding sound, running the cloth over each piece of steel. "What did the kid look like then," Sasuke asked once a tense silence formed betwen them. "Brown hair, really bright green eyes. I think you killed his brother with a chidori or something back at the caravan."

The description did ring a bell with Sasuke and he remembered the young thirteen year old child he had killed. "Probably," he finally replied with a shrug. The two once more lapsed into quiet while Sakura cleaned her weapon, then stood and threw the rag onto the counter by one of the many scrolls littering the surface. "I'm going to go take a bath," she muttered and picked up her scythe. The thing never left her side, and Sasuke couldn't blame her, as he placed his palm lightly on the hilt of his katana. "Fine," he replied and washed out the contents of his bowl in the sink, putting the spoon and bowl back in the drawer he had found them in.

Then he turned and exited the kitchen, not really feeling up to pouring over the countless documents again for now, and made his way to what he liked to call, the "forbidden room"...

It was where he and Sakura had placed the former occupants of this house's possessions.

Standing before the door, Sasuke swung it open to reveal the stuffed animals, the clothes, the farming materials that now littered the floor and piled up high against the walls. One tower covered the two windows in the room (it used to apparently be a young boy's bedroom) and thus threw the room into shadow.

* * *

"Damn Uchiha, you just have to make a mess of everything," Sakura growled to herself as she shut the door behind herself in the tiled bathroom, looking at her disheveled figure in the mirror and sighing. That was just another shirt and skirt put to waste. Peeling the sweaty and bloody red top from her torso, Sakura grimaced at one particular stain that had gotten under it and onto the actual skin of her stomach, appearing in splotches under her fish-net shirt.

Bending down to unbuckle her boots, Sakura wiped the dirt and snow from the sleek black and felt satisfaction once they were clean, stepping out of them and going over to the bathtub to start the water. Disrobing, the rosette wrapped a towel around her chest that draped down to her knees to keep herself warm in the frigid bathroom until the warm water rose the temperature and sat down on the toilet seat, taking in the pale cream paint that cover the walls.

Then she reached up and undid her ponytail, allowing her pink hair to flow freely down to the small of her back and some strands to drape over her shoulders, while her bangs lowered to frame the sides of her face and hang over her eyes. "Dammit," she sighed when she stood to look in the mirror and saw dried blood caking some strands of her hair. "This will take forever to get out!" Sakura complained further and fingered the dry crimson in her hair, picking at it and allowing some flakes to fall to the ground. She stared at her reflection in the mirror and even she could tell that slowly, her sanity was unraveling.

Her mind was twisting into a monster.


	4. Breaking of the Heart

_Chapter Three_

_Breaking of the Heart_

* * *

_One week later..._

Sasuke slowly drew his blade from the thief's chest, his katana blade protruding from the man's back as crimson blood dribbled down his whiskered chin. "Never make me angry," Sasuke whispered in his ear, the last thing he would hear before his body fell to the ground with a dull thump, snow billowing lightly and mingling with his crimson blood. The youngest Uchiha glanced around the dark alley he had brought the thief to, after the man had tried to pickpocket him, of course. Signs of torture were evident on his arms and face; bruises had already been forming on his wrists from where Sasuke had burned him with his katana, heated by a katon jutsu, before he had died, and a thick slash was carved into the features of a smile on either sign of the man's lips.

"Thief" was carved into the man's left forearm by his own hand, under the influence of Sasuke's sharnigan.

Snorting once to himself, Sasuke bent down and picked up his subject's discarded cloak and began to rummage through its pockets, and the irony struck him that he was the one stealing from the one who had tried to take from him. Finding a sack full of coins and a picture of the man standing with two small brunette girls and a raven-haired woman, the Uchiha threw the piece of paper by the man's face without second thought and put the coins into his own pocket, then with a flick of his wrist, set the body aflame as he exited the alleyway.

The raven wiped the blood off of his cheeks as he entered the stream of people who were ambling around the small town square under the cover of light snow, his black cloak encasing his slim frame while he weaved through families and couples to make his way to the bar that he would be meeting Sakura at. Absentmindedly, Sasuke's right index finger rubbed against the leather-bound book that was in his hand, and he lowered his head to hide the sadistic grin that crossed his lips. Staring at his feet while he walked, Sasuke slid his katana back into its sheath and glanced up to see the orange and yellow lanterns outside of his destination, the doorway covered by red beads and, as Sasuke parted them with his hand and stepped into the warm building while his onyx eyes scanned the crowd, he saw his partner.

Sakura was sitting at a table in the corner of the bar, dressed in a high skirt, fish-net stockings and knee high boots. Her red tank-top was cut into a low V that exposed her cleavage and her emerald eyes were lined with smoky eyeshadow while her pink hair was tied into a high ponytail that curled over her left shoulder. Sasuke's eyes drifted over to the man that the rosette was talking to, and he saw a slim man drinking a glass of beer, with five empty cans sitting by his elbow. As Sasuke leaned against the doorframe, he noticed he was on a raised platform and while he stared down at Sakura, her emerald eyes flicked up briefly to meet his onyx and she nodded once. Smiling over at the man, Sakura reached for his can of beer, and as Sasuke read her lips he saw that she was offering to refill his glass.

But he also noticed her left hand reach into her pocket and pull out a small vile filled with white powder under the table, and her index finger dipped into it discreetly before rubbing over the rim of the can, then she filled it with beer and handed it back to her "friend" who smiled and took a swig of the beer. Then his eyes rolled back, and his head slumped forward to smash against the wooden table. Smirking, Sakura stood and wove her way through the crowd, body slithering through impossible gaps until she was standing on the stairs before Sasuke. "You're late," she commented and crossed her arms. "I got a bit...distracted," the Uchiha replied, at least attempting to seem sheepish while Sakura rolled her eyes and turned to lead the way to a table under a small overhang on the deck Sasuke had been standing on.

"So? Did you get it?" She asked as she took a seat opposite of Sasuke. The raven nodded and didn't try to hide his grin while he pulled out the scroll Sakura had asked for. "And something else," he added and placed the leather book on the table. The kunochi arched an eyebrow and placed her palm over the object. "I asked for the medical scroll, and not a diary," she said dryly. "You don't know who's diary it is," Sasuke replied easily while glancing over his shoulder as a burly man with an armful of full beer glasses walked by. "Oh really," she said scathingly and peeled open the leather cover, her eyes darting over the front page. The kunochi sucked in a deep breath and her gaze flashed up to Sasuke's triumphant look. "You found his journal," she whispered in pure shock. Sasuke nodded.

"Now are you wishing you hadn't yelled at me for finding this?" The Uchiha said smugly, but Sakura didn't attack him back like she usually did, flipping over the front page and he caught a glimpse of Naruto's scratchy handwriting in the process. "Where did you get this?" Sakura murmured while her slim fingers traced Naruto's writing. "I found it in a motel across town," Sasuke replied and crossed his arms. "...Does it say where he..." "No." Sakura looked up at him, disappointment heavy in her gaze. "Are you sure?" She asked. Sasuke nodded, not wanting to speak about it. "Then what good is the journal," Sakura hissed. "Well, for one..." Sasuke waved his hand over the leather cover that Sakura had slammed down over the pages, his sharnigan flaring briefly.

Then blue chakra floated over the binding, like mist, and extended in a loop past the raven's shoulder and out of the building. Sakura again breathed sharply while her green eyes traced the substance. "We now can track his chakra," he explained. "And..." His fingers slid under the binding and pried Sakura's palm away, opening the journal to a page with very descriptive drawings of different flowers and weapons lay. "The drawings do go in a pattern," Sasuke said and his index finger trailed from a flower natively found in the Waterfall Country to one found in Rock Country.

"It looks like he's trying to make some sort of medicine," Sakura whispered. "But I don't recognize these plants at all, nor do these weapons seem normal." She pointed to a drawing of a pair of two curved swords that resembled half-moons. "But...following the pattern..." Sasuke looked up at Sakura. "He's heading for Fire Country next." The rosette looked away. "When do we leave," she asked stiffly. "Today," Sasuke replied and stood. "Good." Turning, both Sasuke and Sakura exited the bar, each eying the other warily while trying to make their way back to the house first.

* * *

"Got everything?" Sakura asked Sasuke as she leaned in the doorway of his bedroom/shack, where he was bent checking his pack for the scrolls and parchment they had collected over the years. "Yes," the raven replied simply while standing erect, wrapping his cloak around his shoulders and his pack on his back. Sakura nodded and gripped the hilt of her scythe. _I'm coming Naruto, _she thought and grinned with her back turned to Sasuke as they walked the empty halls for the last time. _And I will get to you first this time. I promise. _Little did Sakura know that Sasuke was making the same promise in his mind as well. The rosette heard Sasuke pause, and turned to face her partner as he gazed blankly at the storage room they had thrown everything into.

"Well? You coming or not?" She asked scathingly as Sasuke's onyx eyes remained trained on the maple door. "...Yeah," he replied slowly, and Sakura arched an eyebrow as she waited for the Uchiha to turn.

He kept his eyes trained on the door.

"...Oi, if you're just going to stand there, I'll just go find Naruto on my own," Sakura sighed out and turned, smiling as she heard Sasuke spin sharply to follow her down the hall to the front door, which she flung open, and the rosette heard the raven step onto the snow covered ground behind herself while cold wind whipped at her cheeks. Shivering slightly, Sakura tugged the collar of her cloak closer around her neck and pulled up its hood, while Sasuke walked in front of her with a red scarf tied around his neck. Sakura longed to tighten it enough to crush his windpipe, but she knew she still needed Sasuke (as much as she hated to admit it) to find Naruto. So she kept him alive...for now. "We'll go over the mountain," Sasuke's voice called stiffly from ahead of the kunochi, and she saw that he had already begun to make his way around the left side of the house.

"Thanks for including me in that decision," Sakura muttered under her steamy breath as she started forward, gazing down on the village at the base of the mountain for the last time. Its orange lights sparkled in the reflective snow that drifted lazily from the sky above, adding a mysterious feel to the quiet town. And if Sakura hadn't been on a mission to find her best friend, she would have stayed to observe the tranquil scene for a few more moments...but she had a task to do. And nothing would get in the way of that. And as Sakura observed Sasuke's retreating back passing by the faded red barn in the distance, she steeled her resolve that if the raven tried to take away the one thing worth making her life bearable...she would kill him very, very slowly.

Sasuke, for his part, was aware of Sakura's murderous stare on his back while he walked, his boots crunching the snow beneath his feet and his katana sheath sliding against his hip. _So...she's on to me..._Sasuke thought without turning to face his partner, his breath warming his face slightly as the frozen earth beneath his feet began to slope upward at a sharper angle than before. "Remind me why we are going _over_ the mountain instead of _through_ it?" Sakura asked from behind him, and Sasuke fought the urge to sigh. "Because thanks to your little stunt with the kid in that medical shop," he said back, "People are on the lookout for us. So we need to keep as low a profile as possible until we reach the Fire Country."

Sakura was silent for a few minutes, making Sasuke think she hadn't heard him while they climbed, until she began to speak. "I'm itching to kill something..." Her voice muttered across the wind that blowed from behind Sasuke. "I am too," he replied with a growl and stopped, turning to face her. "But we can't afford that until we reach the border."

"Not even a wild animal?"

"You're free to go and wrestle a mountain lion, but don't blame me when your jugular gets cut."

"Are you saying I'm _weak_?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as Sakura stepped forward threateningly. "No," he said cautiously, aware that at the moment his ego had him walking on very thin ice. "I'm saying we can't afford any injuries right now, no matter how good of a medical nin you are. Nor can we afford to kill anyone, or anything, of importance until we put a good distance between us and this village." Sakura shook her head and seemed to sigh, her breath coming out in a puff that extended away from her face. "Fine," she growled and Sasuke turned away, satisfied with the curt answer. "We'll have missions to complete once we get there," the raven said and continued to walk, not hearing the rosette respond and thus, wasn't bothered to keep looking at her.

Wind howled in his ears while he walked around boulders and the occasional, half eaten carcass of a mountain goat as he kept his disturbing thoughts to himself, making sure the check that Sakura was a safe distance away from his back, because he knew one well-timed swing from her scythe would cut him into shreds...and that she was just waiting for the proper excuse to do so. _Just wait Sakura, _the Uchiha thought smugly. _Soon Naruto will be mine, and I can finally be rid of you. _

* * *

_The next time Sasuke woke up, he found himself draped in white sheets and staring at an equally blank ceiling. Muddled voices spoke to his right, but individual words were undistinguishable as Sasuke fought back the urge to groan. Blinking, he turned his head to face the others in the room he lay in to see Sakura and Kakashi, standing with their backs to him and in the gap between the two, he saw two men dressed in white lab coats. Sakura shifted as Sasuke looked at her, and her pink covered head turned to look at him. Her mouth moved, and her expression, which had been filled with worry, melted into relief as she tugged on Kakashi's shoulder._

_The Jonin looked down at her, and then to Sasuke. Whether he said anything or not was beyond Sasuke, but the white-haired man still __leaned forward and placed his palm on the back of Sasuke's hand, seemingly to comfort him. But what from? There was nothing that should have been bothering Sasuke...right? Kakashi's eye narrowed as the Uchiha pondered why his teammate and sensei looked so distressed, despite the fact that he woke up. Shaking his head in annoyance, Sasuke opened his mouth to voice his concerns when Kakashi shook his head, a clear signal that the raven shouldn't try to talk. Arching an eyebrow, Sasuke complied (since he wouldn't have even heard what he would have said anyway) and instead scowled at his sensei._

_The Jonin glanced over to his left, to where the two men in white lab coats stood, and waved them away. Sakura, meanwhile, stepped forward to stand by Sasuke's head and gripping her left upper arm with her right hand. A low buzzing suddenly filled Sasuke's ears, and his scowl deepened because the noise annoyed him. What the hell had even happened to him anyway? For some reason, there was a great sense of pain and loss that the raven just couldn't put a finger on, and it was really getting on his nerves."...Ke. Sasuke, can you hear me...?" Kakashi's voice rose past the buzzing eventually, giving way to the voices and the silence that filled the room. Sasuke nodded once as he heard Sakura speak._

_"Sasuke-kun..." She whispered. Sasuke looked at her to see that, instead of tears in her eyes, sympathy floated in those emerald depths. "What..." Sasuke coughed, his throat dry. "What happened?" Kakashi's gaze hardened. "...the trial," the Jonin said, and that was the trigger._

_The pain and the loss that Sasuke couldn't understand crashed down on him like a wave, as if the entire world was being placed on his shoulders. Shutting his eyes, Sasuke brought his hand out from under Kakash's and placed both of them in his lap, leaning forward and gritting his teeth. "Sasuke," Kakashi said worriedly while the Uchiha did his best not to cry in front of the remainder of his team. "It's not fucking fair," Sasuke nearly shouted in reply, and a small hand was placed between his shoulder blades. "He was innocent! How could they-" "Because they can't see past what's inside of him," Kakashi interrupted._

_Sasuke whipped his head back up to stare at his sensei with broken eyes. "Why the hell not," he snarled, and the hand on his back began to rub in small circles. "Because they are afraid," the Jonin murmured, and his visible eye softened. "Not of Naruto, but what he has sealed inside of him." "..." Sasuke breathed deeply and looked away, fists clenched in his lap while images of terrified blue eyes flashed in his head. "...Should I tell him, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura whispered from behind the raven. Sasuke didn't look over as Kakashi stood up and seemed to leave the room, the clicking of a door sounding from far beyond Sasuke's bed as Sakura sat down by his legs._

_"...We have to watch Naruto's execution." _

_8-8-8-8-8_

_"Sasuke, let's go," Kakashi called. "I'm. Not. Going," Sasuke growled in response, refusing to get up from sitting in his dim bedroom, hearing Kakashi knock on the locked door. How had the fucking Jonin gotten into the raven's house in the first place, anyway?! "Go away," Sasuke muttered while Kakashi continued to knock, holding in his palms a picture frame...and within it, a picture of Naruto. The image captured the blonde lounging under a tree, the shadows cast over his face making the child look even more peaceful while his arms were crossed over his chest._

_It had been Sakura's idea to take a picture of Naruto moments before Sasuke had poured a bucket of water on the kid's head._

_Sasuke allowed himself a brief smile at the memory, and his thumb ran lightly over the image of Naruto's face, imaging the glass being replaced with the blonde's scarred cheek. "Sasuke, we've been ordered to come. If you don't show up, you'll be thrown in jail." "Good," Sasuke replied scathingly. "Maybe they'll hold a bullshit trial for me too." Sasuke heard a sigh on the other side of the wood. "Sasuke, Naruto requested that you be there as well," Kakashi said softly, and Sasuke's back stiffened. "What?" He asked lowly, sure he had somehow misheard the Jonin._

_"He was granted one request," Kakashi replied. "And he said he wanted you to be there." Sasuke stared at Naruto's image, the peaceful scene warring with the storm raging in his head. The raven knew if he went to the execution, he would lose what little sanity he had managed to retain from the Uchiha Massacre...and he also knew that if he didn't go, the last memory he would have of Naruto was those horrifyingly blank blue eyes staring up at him in that trial room. "Will I have time alone with him?" Sasuke asked after a tense silence. "...Some time...yes," Kakashi said tiredly. _

_Sasuke sighed and stood from his bed, going to unlock the door and swing it open to reveal his sensei dressed in black shinobi attire. "Let's go..."_

_8-8-8-8-8_

_"Right in here, Sasuke-san," a female ANBU said quietly as she pointed to a metal door to her left, in the dim catacombs that were Konoha's prison system. The raven breathed in deeply, almost able to smell the despair and fear that littered the cells, and knew that Naruto was just behind this wall, suffering._

_Knowing he was about to die._

_Shoulders stiffening, Sasuke stepped forward and placed his hand on the metal handle, his chakra draining slightly before a click was heard and he was able to push the door inward. Stepping through the doorway, Sasuke found himself in a pure white room, all four walls, floor, and ceiling the dreadful color and a white cot shoved against the left wall in the far corner. And on that cot sat Naruto, his knees pulled to his chest and arms wrapped around his legs, chin resting on his knees while he stared at the wall with his back resting on the one behind him. _

_The blonde's head turned to the right once Sasuke had shut the door behind himself, heart pounding while he saw that Naruto wore nothing but a black shirt and pants. "They actually let you come here?" He asked quietly, so unlike the Naruto Sasuke knew that he wanted to scream. But instead he just nodded and, despite what his body wanted to do, kept himself rooted to his spot. Naruto looked back to the wall with slight disappointment in his eyes. "...How's Sakura-chan been," the blonde asked suddenly. Sasuke looked at him in surprise._

_"...She's really shaken up," the Uchiha said truthfully. "We all are." Naruto's blue eyes looked sideways at Sasuke. "We?" He repeated, as if the term were a foreign concept. Sasuke rolled his eyes and finally stepped forward, going to sit next to Naruto on the cot. "Yeah, we," he said. "Sakura, Kakashi, myself...hell, our entire ninja class. We all...are really upset." Naruto breathed deeply through his nose, shoulders rising and falling with the action. "Sort of hard to believe," the blonde muttered. "But I'll believe you, bastard." Sasuke snorted and looked at the wall Naruto was staring at._

_"Here," he said, suddenly remembering the bag that he had in his pocket. Reaching down, he got the small paper bag and held it's warm contents out to Naruto. "What is it?" The blonde asked, slight excitement seeping into his tone while he took the package. "Open it and find out, moron," Sasuke said in amusement as Naruto pulled out a styrofoam container with a steaming helping of miso ramen and chopsticks in its depths. "Thanks!" Naruto exclaimed and began to eat immediately, his slurping filling the room and making Sasuke smile slightly, but he looked away so Naruto couldn't see. _

_"...So, how have you been," Naruto asked while he ate. "Hm?" Sasuke looked back to Naruto as if he had been spacing out. "I asked how you're feeling," Naruto repeated. Sasuke looked to the floor, studying his sandals. _

_"Worried."_

_Naruto seemed to choke on his ramen. "Worried? Hah, good one asshole," the blonde said shakily once he had recovered from his coughing. "I'm serious," Sasuke said and looked at his teammate. The blonde's sparkling blue eyes dimmed and they looked back to the half-eaten contents of his cup. "Jerk," Naruto muttered then. "Dumbass," Sasuke replied...and then his arms were filled with a blonde and black mass. _

_Short, broken gasps for air brushed again Sasuke's chest while Naruto's arms wrapped tighter around his waist, a desperate grip for something that the raven couldn't identify as he pushed himself back on the bed so his back was against the wall and he pulled Naruto into his lap, all attraction gone in this moment because right here, right now, Naruto needed a friend. And Sasuke would be damned if the blonde didn't get that in his final moments. "Shhh," Sasuke whispered, the only way he knew how to calm someone down while his hand brushed through Naruto's hair. "I know it's not fair..." _

_Naruto seemed to nod against Sasuke's abdomen, and he pulled himself closer onto Sasuke's legs while burying his face in Sasuke's shoulder. Sasuke continued to look at the opposite wall while he wrapped his arms around Naruto's waist gently, stroking the blonde's back and listening to his teammate try (and fail) not to sob loudly. Gently, Sasuke turned his head and, without the blonde knowing, pressed his lips to Naruto's forehead. _

_And then that metal door opened, and in marched four ANBU, set into the formation of a square. "Naruto Uzumaki," one declared, and Naruto froze in Sasuke's arms. The raven tightened his hold briefly while he glared at the men and women who would be taking this boy away from him...but then let go as he knew he would not win this time._

_This time, he would lose the one thing that kept him going._

_"...Bye...Sasuke," Naruto whispered, slowly climbing off of the raven and, at the very last possible second, Sasuke reached out and gripped the blonde's wrist. Locking his eyes with Naruto's, Sasuke tried to convey every emotion, every word that he could never let past his lips while on Naruto's other side, an ANBU gripped the boy's shoulder and tugged harshly. Sasuke tightened his grip as his heated stare grew more desperate and cries to spare Naruto rose in his throat. _

_"Sasuke-san, let go," a female voice ordered. But Sasuke no longer had control over his hand, and once Naruto was torn from his hold...he lost it. In a whirlwind of voices, Sasuke started to scream and yell as he tried to chase after the two ANBU that were leading Naruto towards that iron door, two other's holding his arms behind his back as he kicked and tried to free himself, watching Naruto's retreated back with a black, gloved hand in his hair to keep him from looking back. "NARUTO!" he screamed in a rare loss of composure. A heavy weight slammed into his back as the iron door shut before his eyes, hiding Naruto from view._

* * *

Sasuke grit his teeth as a caravan of soldiers came into view before his eyes in the blizzard that had confronted himself and Sakura. "Apparently your brilliant plan to go over a mountain didn't include roads too," Sakura shouted from behind and to his left. Sasuke sighed, his breath billowing out in front of him in a cloud. "So...can we..." Sasuke looked over his shoulder to glare at her. "No-" he began to snarl when the rosette's expression changed from annoyance to complete shock, and she waved her palm towards him, telling him to turn around.

The raven did so, seeing the sim yellow light of lanterns, and a figure dressed in a black cloak weaving their way throughout the row of soldiers, blood spurting like rain and falling with the snowflakes that drifted from the dusk sky. "He just stole my kills," Sakura said...but there was no malice in her voice, instead, wonder. And Sasuke had to admit, the speed with which the person preformed was astounding. Before even five minutes had passed, the caravan was in flames and the cloaked figure was gone.

Sakura stepped up to Sasuke's side. "That...was impressive." Sasuke nodded...but despite his awe, his broken heart just couldn't forget the flash of blue he had seen under the hood of the attackers cloak before they had vanished into the snowy storm that he had Sakura stood in.


	5. Blinding of the Eyes

_Chapter Four_

_Blinding of the Eyes_

* * *

To say Sasuke's and Sakura's trek over the mountainous terrain of the Land of the Samurai was exhausting and annoying would have been an understatement. After the surprise encounter with the caravan and the hooded figure that demolished it, Sakura had insisted upon taking a couple of horses from the wreckage and traversing the roads while not taking "no" for an answer from Sasuke...no matter how many threats and curses he threw at the rosette either with his mouth or with his mind.

They had come across two more caravans along the way, and each time both missing-nin suppressed their urges to end all of the soldiers as brutally as possible, not just for the sport of it, but they were low on supplies...at least, that's how Sasuke reasoned his drive to kill the young twelve year old boy he had passed by, who had been holding a torch close to his face while he had watched the pair with nervous eyes.

Sakura simply just wanted to kill something, because of Sasuke annoying her to the point that by the time the sky had stopped snowing and the wind ceased freezing their faces she had turned around and told him, quite calmly despite the utter fury she felt, that if he said one more thing about the roads and how the two were exposed to any ambushes, she would personally rip him limb from limb and stitch him back together to start the process over.

Sasuke would then proceed to sulk and imagine throwing the kunochi into a writhing pit of snakes while laughing as she screamed.

Anyways, it took roughly a week for Sakura and Sasuke to just get out of the massive mountain range with the way of travel Sakura had chosen, and Sasuke eventually admitted his method would have only taken longer...even if it _was_ the safer route according to him. And now they currently found themselves standing in front of a border gate that gave way to the rolling forests and fields of the Fire Country, the warm wind of spring welcomed by both against their still quite cold bodies.

"Do you have the sleeping powder?" Sasuke asked quietly when the two cobblestone towers came into view, a long, tall wall made of the same material stretching to the left and right of each and an iron gate set between the pillars. The checkpoint seemed so out of date to Sasuke that, if he wasn't already aware that seals, exploding tags, and all sorts of ninja summons littered the area, he would have just tried to jump the seven foot wall without a second thought.

"Of course," Sakura murmured back from her place on a large, chestnut mare, her cloak hanging on the horse's hindquarters and the hood just barely avoiding dragging in the dirt. Sasuke's own albino stallion snorted and shook its head as a couple of flies buzzed by its ears and, in turn, by Sasuke's face. Batting the bugs away irritably with his gloved hand, the Uchiha kicked his heels lightly into the horse's side and entered a light trot towards the gate, two shinobi coming into view in front of the lowered, iron gate. "You know what to do," Sasuke called back to Sakura, and he heard her agree briskly as his horse trotted away towards the checkpoint.

"Good morning," the raven greeted as he approached. Each shinobi nodded in reply, the sun reflecting off of their Konoha hitai-ate, and a pure wave of hatred rose in Sasuke as he tightened his left fist on the reins. "Passing through, I assume?" The one on Sasuke's left asked, and the Uchiha recognized him immediately as Hatake Kakashi, his white hair spiking up as Sasuke remembered it, his green Jonin vest replaced by the pale sleeveless ANBU version, a high collared black tank underneath that and a small chakra blade strapped to his back. Silvery grey metal armguards were attached to the man's forearms and Sasuke noticed that the traditional ANBU mask was missing.

Shifting his gaze over to the other guard, the Uchiha saw Nara Shikamaru watching him with a rare show of curiousity, wearing the same uniform as Kakashi, and Sasuke couldn't help but thank whatever powers existed for giving him the forethought to cast a henge over himself beforehand. "...Yes," Sasuke replied and returned his eyes to Kakashi. "I'll have to search your packs, if you don't mind," the ANBU asked then, and Sasuke nodded as the wolf approached...knowing Kakashi would never get to see the contents inside.

Hearing the small whistle that was approaching Sasuke from behind, he quickly reached into his shirt and pulled out a small gas mask, wrapping it around his nose and mouth while Kakashi remained unaware and reached for Sasuke's first pack.

And that's when the smoke bombs contacted the dirt road.

White and pink dust filled Sasuke's vision as Kakashi and Shikamaru began to cough and, since the raven was close to Kakashi, he could see the ANBU waving his left hand in front of his eyes to try and clear his vision while reaching for the chakra blade on his back, but then both his normal, lazy looking eye and his sharnigan eye rolled back into his head as he slumped to the ground, unconscious. A similar thump was heard to the right, signaling Shikamaru too had fallen into the stupor Sakura had induced. Looking behind himself, Sasuke saw Sakura and her horse emerge from the mist, the rosette holding a similar mask like his to her mouth and nose.

"Why aren't the horses asleep?" Sasuke asked once the rosette had gotten close enough for his question to be heard. "I made sure there are chemicals in there that induce the human brain to shut down, not the horses'," Sakura replied as she dismounted and stepped over Kakashi's body without a second glance to enter one of the guard towers. Sasuke shook his head in slight disbelief at the dramatic entrance Sakura's smoke bombs always seemed to have, what with the fucking pink and white clouds and all, but followed her lead and went to help lift the iron gate from the other guard tower.

With a clang, the barrier rose, and Sasuke made his way back to his albino horse as Sakura was getting back onto her chestnut, and both proceeded at a brisk trot after Sasuke had bound Kakashi and Shikamaru back-to-back inside the right tower...but for some reason, he could bring himself to kill them. Not that he would let Sakura know that as he took the lead and she dropped in behind him while rearranging the inside of her mystery pack, the one that not even Sasuke knew the contents of.

But as long as it didn't threaten his life, the Uchiha was okay with that.

But little did he know that inside that pouch, Sakura kept a tiny vial of his own chakra, a syringe filled with poison, and Naruto's old hitai-ate.

_8-8-8-8-8-8-8_

"We need to get a mission soon," Sasuke noted from the other side of the campfire the two had built deep in the woods, far from the trail they had been traveling on. Having long since abandoned the horses to the wild, since once Kakashi and Shikamaru awoke and alerted Konoha, the shinobi would be streaming through the countryside looking for people on horseback, the raven's feet were surprisingly sore despite having easily walked for weeks beforehand without having a single blister.

Sakura wasn't much better off herself, having to deal with saddle burn on the insides of her thighs and a nasty bruise from her horse leaving a parting kick to her hip as it left them, getting out of the range of the enraged rosette's scythe as she limped towards the creature. "We're low on money I assume?" Sakura asked while Sasuke tossed her the empty pouch they kept money in. "We have none," the raven corrected as Sakura inspected the leather bag. "Shit," Sakura muttered and eventually threw the pouch to the pile of backpacks and pouches that held mostly evidence of Naruto's whereabouts and spare clothes.

"I heard there are a few black markets up ahead, in non-shinobi villages," Sasuke reported. "And where did this information come from," Sakura asked dryly while she applied a salve to the red marks running up her legs, facing away from Sasuke out of a small amount of vanity she still possessed from her Genin days. "I do my research," Sasuke replied evenly while discretely hiding the notice that he had stolen from one of the guard towers earlier, describing the locations of the black markets and warning civilians to be cautious of the people in them.

Yeah, Sasuke had to be _really_ careful around black marketers. It wasn't like he could kill them with his eyes closed or anything if things got too bothersome.

"Hm," Sakura grunted and screwed the lid back onto the lotion she had been using, examining the amber-tinted container briefly before putting it back into her medical pouch and hearing the object clink against the various vials and metal tools inside. "So, should we go to these black markets tomorrow or wait a few days?" She asked after a few minutes of mostly, the "mostly" consisting of Sasuke beginning to sharpen his katana with a flat rock.

Sasuke looked up from his weapon and stared at his partner, who was laying back and propping herself up on her elbows with her cloak draped under her to shield her body from the sandy forest floor. "When do you think you'll be ready to walked," he asked briskly and returned to sharpening his blade. "Probably two days max. That fucking horse gave me some serious saddle burn," Sakura said in annoyance and glanced over at her own weapon, wondering if the blades needed sharpening too. "Then I'll go tomorrow and scope the areas out. Can you gather your medical supplies in this forest? Sasuke asked and leaned back on the boulder behind himself.

"Probably. I'm low on mint leaves," Sakura replied. "Okay. Tomorrow then I will go to the nearest black market and maybe get a mission. You get your supplies and we'll decide where to go from there," Sasuke decided and slid the rock against the steel of his sword again, satisfied with the _shing_ the metal gave off. Flinging the stone past Sakura and into the dark woods beyond, the raven scooted forward and laid down, not even bothering to appoint a night watch since he had already cast the jutsus needed to keep himself and Sakura hidden for the night.

Meanwhile, Sakura stared into the campfire and laid her left arm over her lap, eyes tracing the flowing pattern of the flames. But she didn't last for too long, however, until she too succumbed to the weariness of the body.

* * *

_Again, Sasuke found himself in a white bed with strange people gathered around his awakening form, but this time it wasn't Sakura or Kakashi talking to doctors or Naruto sitting by his head, saying the trial was a huge mistake and he was let free without a problem. Nope, this time it was a bunch of ANBU that seemed to be staring down at the young Uchiha as he tried to sit up and found that his wrists and ankles were bound to the bed by metal cuffs, and his torso pressed down with a leather strap. "What the hell?" The raven asked and tried to break his wrists free of the restraints, wrenching his body against the various bindings keeping him still._

_"Calm down Sasuke-san," one ANBU said, and the one closest to his head on the left stepped forward while a bright light shone down into the raven's eyes. "We just have a few questions for you. "Then why am I fucking tied to a table?" Sasuke yelled and continued to struggle as a gloved hand was placed on his exposed forehead, hitai-ate missing from his skin and making his head feel oddly light. "...Sasuke, what do you last remember," a female voice asked slowly, as one would to a wild animal to try and calm it down._

_"I'm not saying anything," Sasuke hissed, chills running down his spine as he remembered Naruto walking through that iron doorway, alone..._

_"If you answer us quickly Sasuke-san, we will let you go," the same female voice said softly, and Sasuke stopped struggling. "...We just need you to tell us about what you and the Kyuubi Jinchūriki talked about," another voice asked. "His name is Naruto," Sasuke growled, but refused to let his anger beat him now when he had to try and stop the execution, somehow..._

_"Fine...so what did you and Naruto talk about?" An ANBU asked with annoyance apparent in their voice. "Just his friends," Sasuke replied quietly. "And nothing else? No discussion of jutsus or any sort of shinobi work," another questioned. "No, he was too busy fucking crying because he is going to be executed for something he had no control over," Sasuke replied, and felt proud of how even he managed to keep his tone while each ANBU seemed to flinch at his words. "And you're sure that...Naruto...isn't planning to escape or run?" One asked after a tense silence._

_"If he is, he didn't tell me," Sasuke near snarled and tried to free his wrists again. "One more question-" "Tying me to a table seems a bit too much for only four fucking questions," Sasuke interrupted and glared at the nearest ANBU in sight. "...Has Naruto ever unleashed the Kyuubi's power before? An example being in extremely stressful or dangerous situations," the ANBU continued. Sasuke narrowed his eyes and glared at the ceiling...trying to think of something and distantly remembered a time during the mission to the Wave Country, and the fight against Haku...where he nearly died..._

_And the brief flare of red he had seen surround Naruto before he fell unconscious._

_"...No," he said eventually and opened his eyes fully. "Can I go now?" He asked, and the answer came to him in the click of metal and the strap on his chest loosening. "You understand that it is the Council's orders for every able civilian and shinobi to be present for this execution, correct?" An ANBU asked Sasuke as he jumped off of the table and made his way to the door. "Painfully aware," Sasuke replied and slammed the door behind himself as he made his way outside._

_As he stepped into the weak sunlight, the Uchiha found a face full of pink hair slamming into his nose and he staggered back against the door he had just closed while warm tears soaked the front of his shirt. "We thought they were...going to..." Sakura sobbed and wrapped her arms around Sasuke's waist. Fighting the disgust that accompanied Sakura's action, Sasuke looked up and saw Kakashi approaching them, Jonin vest missing and replaced by a pure black, long sleeve shirt._

_"We heard Naruto had been taken from his cell to prepare for the execution, and that ANBU had taken you away for questioning," the wolf clarified and stopped behind Sakura, who continued to cry into Sasuke's chest. "...Yeah," Sasuke replied uncertainly and carefully removed Sakura's death grip from his abdomen and pushed her back. Looking up into Kakashi's dull grey eye, Sasuke felt dread at what he was assuming from the man's unguarded expression. _

_"We still have to watch the execution, don't we," he asked quietly while Sakura ceased her loud moans of despair and sniffled while wiping at her eyes._

_Slowly, achingly, Kakashi nodded an affirmative. _

_Sucking in a deep breath, Sasuke looked past his left shoulder to the Hokage Mountain, staring at the Fourth's face and trying not to burn everything down in his frustration and sorrow. But it was sort of hard, considering the place Sasuke dared to call his home was going to kill his best friend (and the love of his life) in cold blood. "When do we have to..." He asked, trailing off when he felt bile rise in his throat at the end of the question. "It's been about two hours since you visited Naruto," Kakashi informed quietly._

_"I'm assuming they want to get the execution done and over with too...so probably very soon." _

_Sasuke nodded, and Sakura managed to say "Let's g-go," before the trio were navigating past cheering civilians and a few of the Rookie Nine who were managing to look solemn and, in some cases like Neji and Shikamaru, even angry as they walked by, dressed in black and carrying boxes of ramen to the prison. Too bad Naruto is already gone, Sasuke thought while the remainder of Team 7 followed the flow of civilians to the center of the village, where in front of a large statue of the First Hokage, sat a wooden platform with a pile of chains on top of it, gleaming like bleached bones in the sunlight._

_"Er..." Kakashi said awkwardly, and both Sakura and Sasuke looked to the Jonin as he paused. "I have to go check in with Tsunade quickly. I'll meet up with you two later," the Jonin said, and ambled off before the Genin had anything to say. "He's probably going to go home..." Sakura muttered, and Sasuke nodded in agreement as he shoved his hands in his pockets and gazed around the public square that was quickly filling with villagers._

_Again, disgust filled Sauske as he saw children run by his feet with fox masks, adults carrying balloons and candles; hell, some people had even made plush toys of either Naruto or the Kyuubi and were throwing shruiken at them! Growling, Sasuke made sure to bump into someone who was aiming at a plush Naruto's heart and caused the man to instead throw the object at his friend's head, narrowly __missing while he turned and beginning to shout loudly at Sasuke. "Hey! Watch where you're goin' mate!" The person yelled, and Sasuke turned with his sharnigan activated to glare at the man._

_"Do not talk to me like that," he whispered dangerously. "...Geez, lighten up. This is supposed to be fun," the man's friend said and ambled over while carrying a bottle of beer in his hand and a towel slung over his shoulders. Sasuke directed his stare at the other one. "You don't understand how much that boy means me to and my team," he snarled and smacked the beer glass out of the disgusting creature's hand. "Oi!" He exclaimed in complaint._

_"Wait, so you're...friends with the demon?" The first man, the one Sasuke had knocked into, asked curiously. As if the possibilty was a foreign concept. "His name is Naruto," Sasuke hissed and heard Sakura step behind him. "And yes, we are," Sakura continued, and Sasuke looked over his shoulder to see her emerald eyes narrowed at the man with the beer glass. Both of them looked slightly sickened and scared, but regardless the one who had yelled at Sasuke glowered at Sakura. "Get your friend out of here," he growled to the kunochi and turned away, apparently ending the conversation._

_"Don't go picking fights," Sakura scolded quietly as she steered Sasuke away from the once more celebatory group with her hands on his shoulders. "This is disgusting," Sasuke muttered and crossed his arms while the two walked around the edge of the thick crowd that was gathering at the base of the podium. "I know," Sakura replied without looking over at her teammate.._

_"But right now the Council will want to show off its power, and if we step out of line we could easily be thrown in jail. The fact that they...can do this means they have power over Tsunade-shishou, so she wouldn't be able to do anything if we were in trouble." _

_Sasuke scowled and looked at his feet. It wasn't fucking fair! He always had to lose those that he let into his heart; why was he such an idiot when he was supposed to be getting revenge for his FAMILY!_

_"Sasuke, stop."_

_Sasuke paused in his angry stride, glancing back to see Sakura staring at him, and once the Genin noticed Sasuke was looking at her, nodded in the direction of the podium. 'No,' Sasuke thought in distress as he followed Sakura's sad gaze to the figure dressed in a pure white shirt with a v-cut collar, white pants, and black sandals, with a brown leather sack thrown over his head. As if the moment Sasuke laid eyes on Naruto had been some sort of unknown signal, the crowd of civilians began to cheer and sneer at Naruto's entrance while six ANBU lined up on either vertical edge of the stand._

_Another man, carrying an odd clay jar the size of an office chair followed the procedure and set the object in front of where Naruto stood, as the blonde's feet were being chained to the floor by the man with the sword that Sasuke had seen earlier. Then he stepped back and allowed one more person to step onto the wooden platform, a figure dressed in a black cloak with the hood pulled up to hide their face, wielding a long axe in their right hand as they approached Naruto._

_Sasuke clenched his fists and bit the inside of his cheek while Sakura grabbed onto his arm. _

_"Uzumaki Naruto," the man who had brought out the jar announced. "You are sentenced to death for the...countless murders you have committed to the citizens of Konoha, and to the Fire Country." Sakura whimpered and Sasuke felt her grip his fist lightly, but not because of her crush on him..._

_Right now they both needed the other to be strong, for their own sakes._

_The sack was pulled off of Naruto's head, and the blonde blinked rapidly as his eyes adjusted to the sunlight, and then his blue orbs were scanning the crowd, probably looking for Sasuke and Sakura. "Sasuke-kun," Sakura whispered, and the raven glanced over at her to see her pointing to the hooded man standing behind Naruto. "What," he muttered back and returned his eyes to Naruto as the blonde was forced to kneel in front of the jar, and the man who had brought it out placed his hand on Naruto's back._

_Orange chakra seeped out of Naruto's skin and began to pour into the container, and the blonde grit his teeth in obvious pain while his arms were bound behind his neck. "Why aren't they..." "I don't know," Sasuke replied...but then, as if the Universe had decided Naruto could live no longer, the man stepped away while the orange chakra continued to pour over Naruto's skin, and the cloaked figure stepped forward and raised the axe._

_The crowd's cheers became dull, like bubbling water, as Sasuke followed the steel weapon's arc into the air with his eyes, then the descent onto Naruto's neck..._

_And he also witnessed the hood fall off of the figure's head to reveal Kakashi in a black cloak wielding a blood soaked axe behind Naruto's headless body._

* * *

Groaning, Sasuke sat up in real life and rubbed at his eyes, smelling the smoke from last night's campfire and feeling a soft breeze brush on his skin. Blinking, the raven saw the smoldering remains of burnt wood and, across from his form, lay a still sleeping Sakura...one of the few times she looked like the innocent girl she had been before this whole mess. The rosette was curled around her torso, hugging her knees to her chest and laying on her side with her long, pink hair out of its ponytail and splayed all around of her head.

Smirking, since Sasuke knew Sakura would never admit to appearing so weak when she was asleep, the raven sat up fully and looked up at the sky to see that it was just past dawn, the pink and purple hues of the morning sky blending together through dark tree leaves that sometimes began to cascade on their campsite. Looking over to the pile of bags the two had created, Sasuke retrieved one of them that he knew was his own due to the Uchiha crest he had stitched into the flap that covered the contents inside, and pulled out a small loaf of bread, an apple, and a half-filled container of water that would now consist of his breakfast.

Eating quietly, so as not to awake Sakura and have her act like a hellhound for the rest of the day, Sasuke leaned back on the boulder behind himself and stared off into the forest, feeling anticipation claw at his heart as the realiziation slowly dawned on him that he was closer to finding Naruto than ever before, having the blonde's chakra to track and now knowing the blonde had some sort of goal being the key factors as to how close Sasuke was in proximity to Naruto.

Looking at Sakura again, Sasuke grinned as he thought of how soon it would be until he could either ditch her or, preferably, kill her, and leave with Naruto while finally making sure the Jinchūriki knew how Sasuke felt about him, truly. Although, Sasuke did have some reservations about suddenly confessing his love to a boy he hadn't seen in five years, but he was sure they could work it out.

But again, this was all dependent on if Sasuke could even _find_ Naruto, and his ability to kill Sakura as soon as he did.

Sighing and finishing off his water, Sasuke stood and rolled up his cloak and blankets, piling them neatly by the boulder he had been sitting against, stamping out the rest of the fire with the heel of his boot. Then he turned and quickly cast a summon, a tan hawk sitting on the boulder and staring at Sasuke with angled amber eyes. "Let her know I went to find a village once she wakes up," Sasuke muttered and nodded in Sakura's direction while turning. "Yes, Sasuke-san," the hawk replied in a deep tone and flapped its wings once while Sasuke walked away.

_8-8-8-8-8-8-8_

Surprisingly, Sasuke didn't find a lot of activity in the first village he visited. There was very little security covering the town, and the streets were near empty, save for a few morning business owners and shoppers or the occasional cat that strutted across the road. But other than that, Sasuke saw no indication of a black market while he pulled the hood of his cloak closer around his face and tried to find the object of his fruitless searching.

Seeing a small man dart across the road, the raven watched his path into a deserted alleyway and quickly followed the person, ducking under a pile of boxes and finding a door set between two buildings, narrow shafts of sunlight coming down through gaps set between planks of wood laying on the roofs of the buildings. Checking for any chakra signatures, Sasuke was pleased to find at least twenty behind the door he saw at the end of the alleyway and knew he had found the jackpot.

Stepping forward, Sasuke flung the door open and came across a huge cavern, parts of brick foundations carved into natural stone and earth, torches lined unevenly along the walls and various dim wooden stalls that followed a carved path down into a dark abyss that Sasuke couldn't see into. Shrugging and deciding it was none of his business, he continued to walk forward and glanced to his left and right, seeing that this black market was much more active than the sleepy town outside of this unusually large cave.

"'Ey, you there!"

Sasuke paused and looked over his shoulder, a glower forming on his brow as a slim man with an untrimmed beard limped towards him, brandishing a gold necklace with a pure black onyx jewel set in the locket. "Best genjutsu charms, 'ight 'ere," the man continued and locked his pale grey eyes with Sasuke's stormy black. "No thank you," Sasuke replied curtly and turned away. "Eh! Hey, wait...what'cha need mate," the man said and limped rapidly to block Sasuke's path down the ramp. "..." Sasuke looked away briefly, disgusted by this man and all that he had failed at in his life, but decided that he also knew this market better than Sasuke did.

"I'm looking for a place where a shinobi can get some missions," the young Uchiha said, and the seedy man's grin fell into a frown. "Ah. Well, you'll wanna go talk to Boss," the dealer said and jerked his thumb over his shoulder, pointing to the abyss Sasuke had seen earlier. Peering over the man's near-bald head, Sasuke was certain the path led into a black nothing. "I don't see anything in there," he muttered and was about to leave, thinking this man was just messing with him...but the raven was in a good mood thus far, so he wouldn't kill the man. Yet.

The man started to cackle while Sasuke turned, and he clasped his hand on the Uchiha's shoulder while sucking in heaving breaths. "'Cause Boss keeps himself in a genjutsu," the man wheezed out, and the gold necklace he had offered Sasuke earlier was shoved into the raven's face. "Watch it," Sasuke hissed and spun on his heel, about to clasp his hand on the man's throat when he noticed his skin was still in contact with the necklace, and he caught a quick glimpse of the previous black cavern to now witness a network of wooden structures and buildings lining the walls, torches outside of the doors and, farther down still, a two-story cobblestone structure with wood tudor-like trimming.

"Told ya," the man said smugly as Sasuke stared at the hole, vaugely impressed by the skill and chakra control it must have taken to maintain such a large genjutsu as the man ripped the necklace from his shoulder and neck. "So if ya need t' go see Boss, I 'uggest you go quickly. He don't like strangers in the market," Sasuke's "friend" said, and then limped past Sasuke and up the way he came. Narrowing his eyes, Sasuke cleared the conversation out of his head and started down the path, passing more stalls and strange men, and on occasion women, offering him all sorts of exotic weapons and illegal material that the Uchiha normally would have purchased, only to sell later, if he didn't have a job to do.

But regardless, he found himself eventually standing in front of the cobblestone structure at the bottom of the pit and, ever the polite gentleman, knocked on the set of double oak doors before him. Each opened on their own accord, and Sasuke heard a distant set of footsteps approach as he entered the home to see a high vaulted ceiling and a staircase set in front of him, splitting off to the left and right to meet with balconies on the second level. "...Welcome," a voice said, and Sasuke looked to his left to see a man wearing a mask resembling that of an ANBU's walk through an open doorway, dressed in a black vest and pants, wearing white boots and a vicious looking pair of swords attached to his hip by a belt. His hair apparently was hidden by a bandana wrapped around his head as he stopped in front of Sasuke, just an inch shorter than the raven.

"And you are...?"

"Taka," Sasuke replied smoothly. A deep chuckle was heard from the other side of the mask. "Ah...I've heard much about you and your...lovely partner," the masked man said and turned, gesturing for Sasuke to follow him as the doors shut behind the pair and lights flickered on through the house. "Where is she, if I may ask?" The man questioned as he led the way past various closed doors. "Not here," Sasuke replied simply. The man laughed again. "Not much of a talker I see. Well, please. Take a seat."

Sasuke found himself in a small office lit by candles set in the walls, a massive wooden desk occupying the center of the space and one chair set in front of the table, which was covered in papers. A window supposedly occupied the opposite wall, but violet curtains were drawn over it and offering no clue to the outside world. Sitting in the chair the man had offered, Sasuke waited for the man to sit in the high back chair on the other side of the desk.

"I assume you hope for some work?" The masked man said, and to Sasuke the covering resembled a dog, or maybe a wolf. He decided to refer to his "employer" as Wolf from now on..."...Yes," Sasuke replied and leaned back while crossing his arms. "And you and your partner will accomplish most anything, I presume? From what I have heard, you two have a one-hundred percent success rate." Sasuke nodded. "Preferably assassin cases," he added on, and could almost imagine the disgusted look that would cross the Wolf's face if he could have seen it.

But contrary to Sasuke's expectations, the man laughed loudly and copied Sasuke's stance of leaning back and crossing his arms. "I guess you have earned the name 'Death Hound'," he chuckled and cracked his neck once. "Well, I do happen to have a mission like that..." Sasuke leaned forward despite himself in expectation, "...But I need to see for myself if you and your partner are the real deal."

Holding back a sigh of disappointment, Sasuke sat back again and tried to keep his glare from his features. Seeming to take notice of the Uchiha's demeanor, Wolf shook his head and pushed a piece of paper forward to Sasuke's end of the desk. Picking it up, Sasuke examined the words and glanced up at Wolf once he was finished. "You need me and my partner to deliver...shoes," he said in annoyance. Wolf nodded.

"I told you I have to know if I can trust you," the man said in amusement. "Delivering shoes doesn't prove anything about myself or my partner," Sasuke growled. "It shows if you're committed to my needs and...what I have to offer." A large violet bag was thrown onto the desk, and the clanking of coins was distinctly heard as it landed with a soft whoosh. "The more missions you complete, the more money you get," Wolf said as Sasuke could almost feel himself beginning to drool at the literal goldmine in front of him.

"There's more to this?" Sasuke asked in astonishment. Wolf nodded. "And if you just deliver these shoes, this will be your first payment." Suspicion instantly gripped Sasuke at the amount of money that was being offered for _shoes_. "Why are you paying so much on the first mission?" He asked warily. Wolf shrugged. "I have money to spare," he said. "So, take it or leave it."

Looking back at the paper with the mission information, and then to the money sack and to Wolf, the Uchiha decided that if things got too bad he and Sakura could just run for it anyways. Standing, he held out his hand, which Wolf took in his own and shook vigorously. "Deal," Sasuke said, unaware that he was now blinding himself to new dangers and...

New enemies.


	6. Darkness of the Essence

_Chapter Five_

_Darkness of the Essence_

* * *

Even as Sasuke was busy trudging a wooden box filled with shoes out of the still quiet village, Sakura found herself awaking to birds chirping in the cool Fire Country air as she sat up to see a gorgeous tan hawk with white feathers adorning its wings and piercing yellow eyes facing her on a boulder from across the remains of a campfire. The bird turned its eyes onto the rosette and opened its beak, speaking in a low voice that calmed Sakura, oddly. "Master Sasuke has gone to the village in search of a mission," the summon reported as Sakura flexed her toes. Nodding once, she witnessed the hawk go up in a plume of smoke and vanish before her eyes.

"Always so dramatic," she sighed and flinched at the still raw burns on the insides of her thighs. Managing to shuffle over to where she had carelessly tossed her bags the previous night, which had ended up by Sasuke's, she noticed with distaste, she dug around for the third pouch, the third pouch that Sasuke never saw and for the syringe she kept inside...

Except...

It was gone.

Eyes widening, Sakura's steady hands began to fling the bags and pouches behind herself, landing with repeated _thumps_ on the forest floor as panicked gasps escaped her lips. Once she had exhausted the pile into nothing but scattered sacks strewn all around the campsite, the kunochi looked up to see the boulder the hawk had been sitting on earlier towering above her head.

Anger surged within Sakura as she realized what had happened. The hawk _hadn't_ disappeared in smoke as she had thought, but instead had dug around for her pouch and...was giving it to Sasuke.

Gritting her teeth, Sakura quickly tied her hair in its usual high ponytail and changed out of her red top (which was covered in dirt and very disgusting) before buckling her boots and picking up her scythe. Forgetting about her burns in the current moment, Sakura began to trace Sasuke's chakra out of the camp, and she stalked stealthily to where she knew his sorry ass would be slithering back to the site.

"You may have changed from Hebi to Taka," Sakura hissed as she walked, "But you're still just a god damn _snake_!" Despite the rage she felt, she still felt fear at the thought of the raven discovering Naruto's old hitai-ate and the sheer fury that would accompany the discovery. "Shit, shit..." Sakura whispered to herself as she trudged through broken tree limbs and leaves while she swung her scythe at the old, tall tree trunks to ease her frustration while leaving heavy scars in the wood.

Sasuke's chakra seemed to have entered the village as Sakura heard the morning bustling of the market, so she guessed that by now he had either entered the black market or was returning, and he had best hope for his safety that he was returning with a mission and her pack. If he found the hitai-ate in there...Sakura knew she would face far greater consequences than death. Stopping by the main gates into the town, Sakura sensed that Sasuke was making his way to where she stood, and he seemed to be extremely agitated and furious.

"Shit," Sakura murmured again as she traced the irregular chakra flow approaching closer, and she unconsciously tightened her grip on her scythe...she knew that with this weapon, she could hold her own against Sasuke...but beating him was a different matter. Besides, she still needed him to find Naruto; whether she liked it or not, she needed him alive. The rosette leaned back on her left leg and felt a cold breeze brush against the back of her neck and stir her ponytail over her shoulder.

The wind was high irritating, and Sakura wished Sasuke would hurry up so she could cuss him out.

Counting to eight hundred, the kunochi finally saw the Uchiha through a throng of men and women arguing for certain products, holding a small, wooden crate under his arm

Sakura's pouch was no-where to be seen.

Suspicious of the raven's purposely cool expression as his eyes landed on her, Sakura decided to, instead of tearing the pathetic Uchiha's skin into ribbons, she would wait for him to come clean with what he had stolen.

Little did she know Sasuke planned a similar tactic as he felt Naruto's hitai-ate weigh down the inside of his cloak.

* * *

_There was no mistaking it._

_Kakashi's hair gleamed like a dry bone in the scorching desert sun, his visible eye wide as it connected with Sasuke's and Sakura's unbelieving eyes. "Ka-Kakashi-sensei...?" Sakura whispered, and Sasuke felt her fist clench tighter around his own as the crowd fell silent, all eyes on the duo that were staring up at the man. Blood dripped from the end of the axe that Kakashi was wielding and fell to the wooden platform with a small "plip" while the Jonin continued to watch his students from behind Naruto's headless body. The silence that befell the whole of the village became more tense as the children watched their teacher hold the weapon that killed their friend (and secret love) on that damn wooden stage._

_"So this is why he had to run off..." Sasuke whispered, feeling rage building inside of his body once the initial shock had come and gone. Ripping his fist from Sakura's, the Uchiha quickly strode forward as the crowd parted before him like the ocean would around a large boulder until he was standing right in front of the stand...careful to keep his eyes off of Naruto's dismembered head and instead focus his furious and betrayed gaze on the man who had murdered the one thing he felt the need to die for. "Give me one reason..." Sasuke hissed up to the wolf, "To not kill you right here." Kakashi stared back with a broken gaze. "I'd rather you end it here than let me live with this," Kakashi murmured back, and Sasuke could tell the man had truly broken._

_However, he was also hell-bent to make sure Kakashi suffered for this as long as possible..._

_Turning his back on Naruto's body and on Kakashi's stiff, black-covered form, the Uchiha instead faced the still silent crowd of Konoha's citizens, and Sakura's scared green eyes. Sucking in a deep breath, and smelling the iron like scent of Naruto's blood as he did so, Sasuke narrowed his glare. "I hope you're all very happy," he began quietly. "I hope you all are pleased with what's happened here today. Because an innocent person was just MURDERED for the sake of your. Petty. Fears!" Without turning, Sasuke thrust his palm behind his back and dipped his fingers into the crimson liquid that was dripping from the edge of the stage. _

_"My FRIEND died because you all are too incompetent to see that he was nothing but himself!" Sasuke shouted as he brought his hand in front of himself to show to the slightly horrified crowd._

_Good. Let them be scared. Sasuke wasn't finished with them yet._

_"I thought my brother was a sick and twisted bastard," the Uchiha yelled. "But you...you people are worse than him. You thought Naruto was the monster? NO! Every single one of you low-life IDIOTS are the monsters!" Stalking forward, Sasuke slammed his blood covered palm into as many chests as he could, pushing people out of the way and hearing them scream as he stopped next to Sakura and faced the terrified crowd again. "None of you can even begin to have a prayer for forgiveness from me," the Uchiha proclaimed while he looked up at Kakashi purposefully. He slammed his fist into a nearby light post, toppling the metal structure and causing the light bulb inside of it to shatter and break, the glass hitting the cobblestone ground with painfully loud screeches._

_Sakura stepped forward as well, and Sasuke could tell that, despite her fear, she too was furious and upset about what had transpired. "He was our friend," the rosette said quietly, and it seemed that her soft whisper had more impact on the crowd than Sasuke's insane shouting, because as soon as she spoke the majority of the villagers visibly flinched. "We...we cared about him, and you had the audacity to rip him from us..." Sasuke kept his eyes on Sakura's back as she reached up into her hair and began to untie the hitai-ate she used to keep her hair in place._

_With the object in her fist, the rosette held out her hand and let the metal clang to the ground._

_Then she turned again and stalked past Sasuke, her emerald eyes connecting briefly with his onyx before she vanished behind him. Fixing another furious glare on the garbage of Konoha, Sasuke followed his teammate's lead and turned to vanish into the shadows that were encroaching on the cobblestone square. The only thing that Sasuke could comprehend that Naruto was GONE. That dismembered shell behind him was just that; a shell. That body wasn't Naruto._

_Nothing could ever compare to Naruto._

_Sighing, Sasuke brought his suddenly tired eyes up to the Hokage Monument and settled his gaze on the face of the Yondaime Hokage, knowing Naruto had often stared up at the man and proclaimed he would grow stronger than the fastest shinobi of all time. "Baka," Sasuke whispered under his breath despite himself, then turned a corner and tore his eyes away from the hillside._

_'Where am I even going...'_

_He soon found his answer in the form of Naruto's unlocked apartment door. Hand on the brass knob, Sasuke found it extremely difficult to turn the orb and push the scarred wooden door inward. It almost felt like he was breaking and entering, except no-one lived here now. _

_Naruto didn't exist here anymore_

_Sasuke had the sudden urge to declare that he had entered the home as he first stepped inside of the dark, one room apartment__. "...I'm here..." The raven called out carefully as he shut the door behind himself, gazing around the wall for a light switch. "Why am I doing this..." He whispered once he had turned on the lights and turned to face the apartment._

_Despite the Uchiha's expectations, Naruto's home was rather well-kept, with a small wooden table set by the countertops that made up the kitchen, a chair set in front of the surface. Small bookshelves lined the left wall, broken only by a door set in the wall that supposedly led to the bathroom. A queen-sized bed with blue and orange sheets was pushed into the left corner opposite of the front door, a small window on the wall facing Sasuke and a bedside table that held a picture frame and two potted ferns._

_To the right, Sasuke saw another door that, judging from what Sasuke had seen from the outside of the building, led to a balcony on the highest floor. Breathing deeply, Sasuke knew that by any normal standards, what he was doing was creepy and wrong...but he didn't care, because he NEEDED this. _

_He needed Naruto. Even if the blonde was no longer here..._

_For Sakura's part, she was busy sitting in the open expanse of Team 7's training field, the last place she had seen Naruto as he should have been; happy, annoying, loud...himself. Not the terrified figure she had witnessed in that courtroom or on that wooden stage. Breathing deeply, Sakura took in the late afternoon sky, white clouds dotting the blue sky and briefly covering the sun in random intervals. _

_Long grass brushed against the rosette's crossed legs while she weaved strands of the foliage together with wild daisies and dandelions, unintentionally making a small wreath while her mind tried- and failed- to not think of Naruto. _

_She wasn't even thinking about how sad she was, oddly. It was, rather, snippets of her memories of the blonde: his smile, the way he managed to cheer everyone up after a long and tiring mission, the pillar the whole team needed sometimes. And now he was gone. Clenching her fists around the grass wreath, Sakura bit back the tears that were threatening to spill over her closed eyelids while a warm breeze brushed her cheeks._

_Opening her eyes to look up at the sky, Sakura sucked in a shaky breath while she felt the weight of her hitai-ate missing from the top of her head. What had possessed her to remove the forehead protector, she wondered. "Why..." The kunochi whispered and bent low over her creation, allowing her tears to flow while more wind whispered through her short hair. _

_It was in that moment of weakness that Sakura decided she didn't WANT to protect a village that was made up of murderers..._

* * *

"So what's our mission," Sakura asked tensely when she noticed Sasuke's hand move inside his cloak, her emerald eyes watching his every move carefully as her partner observed her similarly. Sasuke didn't answer right away. Instead, he continued his path past the kunochi and waved over his shoulder, signaling she should follow him.

_You can't hide this from me forever_, they both thought while Sasuke diverged from the main dirt road and into the woods that lined the side of the path, both teenagers trudging over the undergrowth until they had reached the clearing of their camp. The Uchiha then suddenly stopped, startling Sakura even though she forced her expression to remain blank, and opened the wooden crate he had been carrying.

Taking the gesture as an invitation to peer inside, Sakura stepped forward until she was able to stare into the inside of the box. "...Shoes?" She asked in disgust when she saw one pair of black shinobi sandals that could almost pass as boots inside of the crate. Sasuke nodded. "There's a man in the black market who is...willing to pay a large amount of money, for the amount of missions we complete," the raven said in monotone, his voice devoid of emotion while Sakura stepped back and glared at him. Both teens could have sworn the tension in the air was so thick it was like a gathering thunderstorm; swirling black with bits of white hot lightning dotting the expanse.

Regardless of the hidden anger, Sakura nodded and went to retrieve a new top from her regular pack (she had flung her cloak over her shoulders while she had been walking to meet the backstabbing raven) "So do we both have to deliver these, or can just one of us go since it isn't that important," the kunochi asked and crossed her arms once she had finished changing. _I need my scythe_, Sakura thought miserably when she realized it was still retracted on her hip, not in her hands, like she wished it was.

"I need you to go find out more intel on our client," Sasuke replied after a few moments of tense silence, covering the box again and turning to get his katana that he had left by his pack. "Fine. Where's the black market then," Sakura asked. Sasuke didn't reply automatically, and Sakura figured he was just going to let her find out for herself while he started to walk in the opposite direction of the town.

"Go to the market. There's two brick buildings with an alleyway in between them, and a small door set into the wall at the end," the Uchiha finally said while he walked away, and Sakura allowed herself a brief grimace in the boy's direction. "Fucking Uchiha," she hissed and turned on her heel, unclasping her scythe from her belt and extending it. Smiling briefly, the rosette picked her way over the fallen trees and leaves of this _god damn_ thick forest.

She continued to complain softly to herself throughout the entire trek, either over Sasuke or the fact the raven had backstabbed her and taken something that belonged to _her_! Or, rather, Naruto...but that was beside the point. _I'll be the one to get to him first_, Sakura thought smugly while her fingers traced the small gold ring that Sasuke had brought back to their base in the Land of Iron more than two months ago, the ring that seemed to have more value to Naruto than she could have guessed.

_Maybe he got married, _the rosette thought, and then snorted. _Naruto wouldn't get tied down so soon..._

_8-8-8-8-8-8_

The marketplace was much more crowded at the time Sakura entered it, with people buzzing like flies from shop to shop. Wary, since one person had already nearly identified her and she had to slash his throat to shut him up, the rosette pulled the hood of her cloak more securely over her head as a group of children came tumbling across her path. Smoke billowed from a chimney of various homes, and as Sakura glanced around for the alleyway Sasuke had described, she could have sworn she saw a mass of blonde hair in the crowd gathered in front of her...

...but as she looked closer, she saw the blonde hair was nothing more than a young boy of the ripe age of six chasing a brunette child with a wooden sword.

Sighing, and shaking her head to clear the nostalgic memories that threatened to seep into her mind, Sakura continued forward and ocassionally stopped at a brightly decorated stands, so as not to seem suspicious while glancing out of the corner of her eyes to try and find the gap between the two brick buildings Sasuke had described. As she was picking various apples and seemingly deciding which one to buy, the rosette instead noticed two brick buildings, one housing a weapons shop and another seemingly a restaurant, with a noticeable gap inbetween each one.

Putting the apples down quickly and apologizing for not purchasing any, Sakura quickly turned to her left, her cloak billowing around her body as she approached the dim gap. The people gathered around her complained and shouted as she pushed her way through the thick crowd, and annoyance caused her fingers to twitch towards her weapons holster; her scythe would have been too noticeable if she extended it right here in the morning rush.

Once she was out of the thicket and in the alleyway, Sakura looked up and saw wooden boards branching across the roof of each brick structure and allowing small patches of light to enter the narrow area, along with lights that shone from the windows in the walls on either side of her. Water dripped from the gutters as the kunochi walked forward, her footsteps echoing and mingling with the murmurs of the people behind her, and as she advanced she noticed a thick wooden door set on the opposite wall, the one she was approaching.

Smiling, Sakura quickened her pace and flung the door open, the hinges squeaking from disuse and she found a winding path going downward, absolutely no light reaching the expanse in front of her. Sakura knew this was to be expected; when you ran a black market, you wanted to be as unnoticed as possible. So keeping the entrance as inconspicuous as possible was a good way to not be arrested. Nonetheless, Sakura wished she could at least see where she was walking as she entered the doorway, shutting the wooden door behind her and making her way seemingly downward on the path.

Hearing murmurs from up ahead, the rosette quickened her pace and almost found herself blinded by the torchlight that was reaching her from a hole in the wall up ahead. Putting her hand over her eyes to shield them, Sakura felt a cold breeze brush her hair back and flow across her cheeks while her figure entered a vast cave system.

A gravel path was winding to her left down a cliff-face, the precipice dipping down into a dark cavern that quickly fell out of sight. The path arched across the wall of the cave downwards, gently sloping downward onto the cave floor, which was lit by only torchlight and the occasional lamp or lightbulb. Orange wires criss-crossed across the expanse, connecting to a massive black generator that was towering near the entrance of the market, easily standing six feet tall and four feet wide in diameter.

The gravel path continued to go forward through the tattered and rugged mats that were scattered alongside it, as well as a few wooden shopping stands with faded striped cloth for covers draped across the frames. The road didn't seem to divert in any other direction, just going in a straight line until it began to dip down once more, oddly running directly into a black pit. No light or sound seemed to come from that area, nor did anyone continue to trudge down that road long enough to go further into the cave, which had a high arching ceiling that was barely within view.

Shivering, Sakura pulled her cloak closer around her frame as she began to detect a strange chakra signature eminating from the black pit at the edge of the cave floor. It reminded her of Sasuke's; cold, unpredictable, and most frightening...it was familiar. Like the voice of someone she hadn't seen or heard from in years, she was able to only acknowledge that she could recognize its potent presence.

Insticts screaming at her to turn around, the kunochi continued to trudge down the path and proceeded to stroll through the market, her right hand gripping a small poisoned dagger that she always carried in places like these. She and Sasuke were common targets in black markets; their tendancy frequent them in search of weapons and supplies made them sitting bait for those looking to cash in on the five hundred thousand yen* reward on their heads, respectively.

Finding herself standing in front of the solid black barrier, she waved off an old man dressed in tattered tan rags trying to sell her an odd gold pendant and knelt down in the path, placing her right palm on the ground and sending a quick burst of chakra into the rock below. The energy was propelled towards the pitch black until it abruptly stopped, like something was blocking it.

_Genjutsu, _the rosette realized as she withdrew her chakra and stood up, brushing dirt and gravel from her hand and reaching into her medical pouch. When her palm withdrew, a small and clear glass vial was clasped in her fingers, a deep purple liquid sloshing around inside of it, filling about half of the container.

Uncapping the vial, she then swallowed the liquid in one quick swig, then glanced around behind her to make sure no-one was watching her before proceeding forward towards the genjutsu wall. As her figure passed through the shroud, a cold wind roared in her ears and electric shocks stung her arms, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end. Then, just as soon as the feelings had arrived, they were gone.

Having closed her eyes against the strong current of air, Sakura blinked and saw the gravel path now sprialing down the walls of a large pit, lined by wooden houses and structures that were built into the rock face. Some of the buildings had porches that jutted out from the initial structure and were supported by wooden beams the stuck out diagonally from the wood, while the areas around them were lit by lightbulbs and lampposts stuck by the doors.

Looking further down into the pit, the kunochi saw what seemed to be a house, two or three stories tall, with white siding and Tudor-style wooden trimming. Round windows surrounded by dark wood lined the upper half of the building, while the first floor seemed to be completely walled in, except for a set of dark double doors in the center of the wall. Narrowing her eyes, Sakura assumed that was where Sasuke had met the man who had given them their first mission and strode forward, her footsteps echoing loudly throughout the pit.

As she passed one of the homes built into the rock-side, she noticed a small, dirt covered child staring at her through a crude window, the girl's grubby hands placed on the window-sill. Sakura noticed that the girl had dull pink hair much like hers and bright green eyes, and with a shiver she realized the girl looked almost exactly like she had when she was younger. Shaking her head, the rosette returned her attention to the house down below and eventually found herself standing in front of the double doors.

Raising her hand to knock on the barrier, she managed to surpress her shock as the doors swung inward swiftly without so much as a creak from the hinges without her even brushing her knuckles on the wood. No-one was standing on the other side of the house to escort her indoors. Suspiciously, she glanced into the room and saw a floor of deep, red maple wood and a high vaulted ceiling, a crystal chandelier that was holding flickering candles dangling down in the very center of the room.

"Come in," a voice said softly from across the room, where another set of double doors stood open and offered a view of a decent-sized hallway lit by ornate, gas lamps. Stepping inside, Sakura felt the difference in temperature instantly and removed her cloak as warmth enveloped her like a blanket. As soon as she was within the room, the front doors swung shut gently behind her, leaving her alone in the room and unsure of whether or not she was about to be attacked.

The sound of a door clicking open to her left alerted the kunochi, and she spun with her scythe fully extended, both blades flashing dangerously in the low light, to see a man dressed in a black cloak approaching her. His face was covered by a white and red mask, similar to those of Konoha's ANBU, in the shape of a wolf's ears and muzzle. Black lines stretched downward over the Wolf's forehead and down to it snout, while red lines that looked as though they resembled blood were painted downward from the Wolf's fangs.

The man had his hair covered by a bandana, and his clothing offered no view to his skin, even his hands, which were covered by black gloves with silver studs on the knuckles. Peering into the eye-holes of the mask, Sakura noticed with a small huff that the man had cast another genjutsu over them so that no-one could have a view inside of his mask and into his eyes.

A small chuckle eminated from the man while Sakura shifted her footing carefully. "Ah...you must be Sakura," a deep voice said, amusement evident in his tone while Sakura narrowed her eyes. The man held his hands up to show he meant no harm. Slowly, Sakura lowered her scythe, but kept it at full height in case this was a trap. "I have heard much about your exploits," the man said in praise and gestured to her weapon.

"I must say, your blade of choice is most extravagent. A beautiful design, if I may add. The two blades on either end of the staff? Ingenious. Whoever built it is very knowledgeable in weaponry."

Sakura nodded once at his compliment. "I created it myself," she said and twirled it once, watching the light that reflected off of the steel crescent blades. The man nodded. "It is very elegant," he said. Then he rubbed his palms together and rolled his neck once. "I assume you are here to ask about the mission I have asked you and your partner to complete?"

The rosette nodded and retracted the bottom half of her scythe, the blade clicking into its sheath until the staff was half its usual size and leaving only one blade exposed. "If you know who we are, surely you know how effective we are with more...complicated missions," she said and leaned back onto her left leg. "Certainly," the man offered, and then gestured behind himself. "Would you like some tea?" He asked kindly. Sakura tried to keep herself from appearing surprised at the question.

"If it isn't poisoned or laced with sedatives," she said carefully in reply. The man chuckled again and shook his head. "You're wary of me," he noted and turned, opening the door behind him and stepping inside while Sakura followed slowly. "I tend to be of people who I barely know," she replied as the man led her past various rooms and paintings of landscapes and different town scenes, marketplaces or children or families.

"A good skill to have," the man acknowledged, "Although being too suspicious can lead to more danger." Sakura didn't reply as the man suddenly turned to his right and opened the door, leading her into a small, cozy kitchen. All of the appliances were on the left side of the room while a round, well-used wooden table and four chairs occupied the center of the black and white checkered floor. The walls were painted a deep green, while the only light in the room came from a ceiling fan over the table.

Stepping inside of the room, the man gestured towards one of the chairs. "Sit," he said and moved to the stovetop, where he pulled out a tea-kettle and began to fill it with water from the sink. Carefully, the rosette entered the room and shut the door behind her, sitting in the chair that faced the man's back as she watched him shuffle around and make the tea that he had offered.

Once he was done, he pulled out a small, teak tray and put two white mugs on the surface, along with a tea-pot of the same color and carried it over to the table. He then took a seat across from Sakura and poured the light brown liquid, putting one mug in front of her and another in front of himself. Sakura kept her eyes on the man as he lifted the container to the mouth of the Wolf mask and seemed to pour some of the tea into his mask, sipping it slowly.

Breathing deeply, Sakura tried not to feel annoyed at how slowly the situation was progressing. "So..." she began, not knowing what to call her employer. The man seemed to look up at her, his head tilting in her direction as if he had been staring into space earlier. "Yes?" He asked kindly while putting his mug down, wrapping both of his gloved hands around the clay container.

"If I may ask...why are you making Sasuke and I deliver shoes?" The kunochi asked and sipped some her own tea. It was surprisingly good, and very warm. It tasted sweet, and she assumed he had put some honey into the drink. "Hm...well, I need to know that I can trust you two to do my missions," the man began and tapped his finger against the chin of his mask a couple of times.

"I am aware you two have a one-hundred percent success rate when it comes to assassination missions. Trust me, I have plenty of those." He cleared his throat before continuing. "However, in order to make sure I can put my absolute faith in you, I'm just going to put you through some...tests. I have some very high standards, as you can see." He gestured with his left hand around the room, as if to indicate his house alone was proof of that.

Sakura nodded slowly. "But...shoes," she said dumbly, not knowing what else to say. There was something about this man that made her lose her sarcastic edge, like he was a wise old man that would tell her she would understand when she was older, like she was just a child. For some reason, her pride was okay with that. The man laughed softly and took another sip of tea.

"Don't worry, I'm sure your partner will have delivered them already," he said kindly. "I'm sure he's told you of the amount I'm willing to pay you, after all." Sakura nodded again. "Now it's my turn to ask you a question," the man requested as Sakura drunk some of her own tea. The rosette waited for the man to begin. "Just how did you get through my genjutsu?" He asked, tilting his head to his right slightly.

Sakura blinked. She had been expecting something about her past or an explanation of her weapon, not how she had come to find him. Reaching into her medical pouch, she pulled out the small vial from earlier, where a few drops of purple liquid remained from earlier. "A chakra concealer," the man noted in surprise and admiration, reaching out over the table. "May I?" He asked. Sakura wordlessly placed the tube into his gloved palm as he sat back to examine the contents.

"Impressive. I should have known a medic nin of your caliber would be able to develop a counter for genjutsus," he murmured as he turned the container over in his hands. "Considering I'm traveling with Uchiha Sasuke, I have to be prepared," Sakura replied. The man laughed and offered the jar back to her, which she took and placed back into her bag. "Yes, I've heard much about him and his Sharnigan abilities," he said.

Sakura rolled her eyes. This man didn't know half of what Sasuke was capable of, his techniques and his skills, most of which was never meant to be seen twice by anyone, except her. "They aren't that great," she said sarcastically and folded her hands over the table, "At least, if you don't know how to fight them." The man nodded in agreement. "I assume you have more questions for me?" He asked.

"Yeah," Sakura replied. "You don't seem like the type of person to be running a black market. Most of the people I've dealt with are convicted murderers, missing-nin. People like that. I don't even know your name, or seen an arrest warrant for someone of your depiction."

"It's hard to arrest someone who has no face," the man offered and pointed at his mask. "It has been awhile since I've shown anyone my identity, and it is true that I run this black market while not having much of a criminal record. Yes, I have stained my hands with blood, poisoned, things of the like. But, you have not heard of me because no-one alive knows who I am."

Sakura narrowed her eyes ever so slightly. "You must have done something important to feel the need to cover your face and body," she said. She heard a snort of indignation from behind the mask. "I am not like the weasels you have dealt with in the past," he said with an edge to his tone. "I will be honest with you, to an extent. I will not reveal my face to you or to Sasuke until I feel you have earned my complete trust, and vice versa. After all, every good relationship is built on trust."

The man drunk some more of his tea. "You can expect excellent pay for the work I offer. I have more than enough money to buy food for the Fire Country and then some. I can offer you and Sasuke a base of operations so you do not have to stay out in the elements longer than is necessary. I'm sure your previous clients cannot say the same." Sakura nodded. "So as you can see, I harbor no ill will, nor do I wish to trick you in some form. I simply have missions that need completion. Trust, however, is something that needs to be earned and kept. If you wish to work for me, that is of your own choice. But revealing myself to you, that is mine."

Sakura glanced down at her folded hands as she thought over what the man had said. "I hope I did not come across as angry to you," the man stated then, his voice noticeably calmer than before. "It's...fine," Sakura offered, slightly taken aback at the quick change in the man's behavior. Maybe he was bipolar. "May I at least know what to call you? If you don't wish to reveal your name, that is."

The Wolf mask nodded back at her. "Certainly," he said. "For now, just call me Kagemusha." Sakura snorted in amusement. "Shadow Warrior," she noted. "Very vauge...almost cheesy." Kagemusha laughed alongside her. "You wanted to know how to address me. That is how, for the immediate future at least," he said quietly. Sakura took one last sip of her tea before standing. "I've got to get back to Sasuke," she explained as Kagemusha stood with her.

He nodded once and gestured towards the door they had entered the kitchen through. "It was an honor to meet you," he said politely as the duo walked down the hallway. Sakura nodded. "I'm sure it will be a...pleasure working for you," she said stiffly in response. They reached the front doors then, and Sakura turned to find Kagemusha standing behind her with his hand extended towards her.

Taking it into her own palm, they shook hands once before the rosette stepped back. "Have a good day," Kagemusha said as the front doors swung inward behind Sakura as she turned and exited the home. Once she was outside, she managed to finally release the shivers that she had been trying to surpress inside of the building. That dark essence, that dark chakra, that she had sensed earlier was eminating from Kagemusha himself.

She still looked forward to the missions in store for her, however...

* * *

Holy shit. It's been over three months since I've updated. I am sooooo so so so so sorry! I've had major writer's block for this story and I was seriously considering just ending this story until I came across the flashback scene I had written for this chapter, then I remembered I love the concept for this series and I want to continue it. Reviews are much appreciated, especially if they offer feedback, positive or otherwise. I hope you enjoyed, and I promise not to put this off for as long as I did before!

*500000 yen is equevelant to 5000 US dollars


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